True As It Can Be
by TazoClarity
Summary: As he is about to abandon Blair in Tuscany, Chuck is stopped in his tracks by something he'd never expect. Unwillingly, he is thrown into a future world where he just can't believe his eyes...and he is forced to face his supposed inability to love.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Don't own.

A/N: **Please Read! **Okay, this was inspired by the beginning of Beauty and the Beast, which I happened to watch with my younger brother over break…and is, incidentally, hysterical when you watch it as an older person! The tale of how the Beast ends up cursed strangely reminded me of the end of 1x18, so this fic will go from there. WARNING: this is a bit cracked out, but I'm strictly on a test run. I won't continue if I don't get any interest. Anyway, this is a Chuck/Blair fic…with a strange twist. So without any more rambling… here you go!

Chuck glanced down at Blair's text for a prolonged moment, his resolution wavering. Lily's shapely interior decorator was eyeing him, as his father took Lily's hand and pulled her out of the room. With a small wave, they were gone and the blonde was following a little too slowly. Chuck could smell a conquest a mile away, and this comely girl was begging for it. Her pathetic attempts at playing hard-to-get could not be disguised.

His suitcases were packed and the flowers were sitting there. Blair was waiting. Bart's words were ringing in his ears…the responsibility…_caring_ for another person…putting them above yourself. Could he do that? Could he _be _that?

Without even having an idea of what he was doing, but rather an impulse that stemmed from some part of him, a part of him that had once been everything and might be again, the flowers were in the trash, save one.

"Amelia," he said gently, silently thankful that he managed to remember her name. "A moment?"

She did turn and go towards him, an uncertain expression on her face. He smirked and handed her the rose. She only stared at it. "What is this?"

"I was hoping we could _discuss_ what you have planned for my room."

"And who are you?" she asked, one eyebrow raised with an admirable try at nonchalance, Chuck thought. His answer was prepared, and certain to make her weak at the knees.

"I'm Chuck Bass."

Hook, line, and sinker. As Amelia looked up at him, Chuck knew he had won his entertainment for the night, and he willfully pushed Blair to the back of his mind. If he gave it another thought, he would be on the next plane to Tuscany, so he could get his fill of her scent, her cleverness, her sheer beauty. But he couldn't do this again. It was too much the first time and if he stayed, he was safe. He was off for a night with _Amelia_.

"Are you sure?"

The question jolted Chuck from his musings, and he was forced to turn to his newest conquest, who apparently had spoken. And from the words he had heard, Chuck knew he must have missed some part of the conversation. Of course, he would rather she not speak, but he could afford to humor her for a little while. "I'm sorry, what did you say?"

"Are you sure you want to do this?" she asked pointedly, her gaze unwavering.

Chuck scoffed, not sure what was asking or how it pertained to anything that had just been said...unless this model-thin, bleach blonde could read minds. "I'm not sure I know what you're talking about, but if you'd like, and trust me you would…we could continue this in my room." His practiced arm went smoothly around her and he leaned in to whisper in her ear. "I can show you the lay of the land... we can make some great changes."

"Changes, huh?" the girl answered, her lips quirking up. Chuck wasn't sure how he felt about that.

"Do you object? I think you should at least take a look before you make your decision," he said smartly. He was leading her out of the room, away from everything he had planned to leave for Tuscany with.

"Well, I don't know…" she answered, and Chuck began to realize that her voice was somehow sounding different with every word—more aware and more knowing. "What about you, would you like to take a look before making _your_ decision?"

Hah. Finally, she sounded like she was following his innuendo and his smirk grew more pronounced. He could handle this.

"You know, that is _exactly_—" Chuck was cut short by the strangest sensation. Suddenly and unpleasantly, it felt as if the ground was falling away from him and he stumbled. Around him, everything was shifting, the colors were turning…but Amelia, she was the oddest of all. As Chuck caught himself, his eyes fell to the floor and he saw the decorator's heels. She walked quite steadily past him and turned to face him, not seeming at all disturbed.

Chuck was beginning to panic, but all he could think to do was look up at the person with him in the magically darkened room. "What the fuck is this?" he exclaimed in shock.

Amelia did not look like the woman he was smooth-talking only moments ago. Her eyes were different, Chuck couldn't put his finger quite on it, but they just seemed bottomless and inhuman. An ethereal glow appeared to surround her, making her look much more glorious than before. And it was then that the Bass heir was very sure that he was alone in whatever was happening.

"What are you _doing_?" he demanded. "Is this real? What's going on?"

The woman (he wasn't sure he could call her "Amelia" anymore, it seemed too commonplace) smiled grimly at him before speaking. "I'm not sure you understood me before. I was asking if you would like to see what you stand to lose _before_ you make your decision."

Of course, Chuck had realized at this point that she wasn't talking about sex, but that was not of great importance at the moment. "What decision? What are you?" He looked around again, not really wanting to meet her eye, instead his eyes darted to each strange mutation of the room. "How are you doing this?"

"Amelia" looked around much more calmly than Chuck had, and then smiled, seeming to admire her own handiwork. "Let's just say that I'm someone who deals with...princes who feel incapable of love."

"Get to the point!" he snapped. "And try making some sense about it…without using the word 'love.'" Chuck didn't want to hear that word right now, the thought of it made him sick.

"Guilty?" Amelia guessed, watching his expression. "Allow me to clarify...Blair Waldorf."

"You want to chat about Blair?" Chuck asked incredulously. "I grew up with Blair, I think I'd know if she were a friend of yours...a witch, or whatever the hell you are."

"Blair doesn't know me at all. But that isn't why I brought her up. Blair...is the love of your life."

Chuck was startled. All of this hocus-pocus to hear something utterly ridiculous like that. He chuckled, both borne of extreme nervousness and irony. "...okay...if that's what you came to say, then aren't the special effects a little much?"

"That's what you have to say? Okay?" Amelia, or whoever's, gaze sharpened. "Do you believe me?"

Chuck just looked at her. "Let me just put it to you this way, I'm not wired for true love or soulmates or any of that incredibly naïve bull-crap you're trying to pedal. I made a mistake, taking it this far with Blair. I can't...I don't do that."

"Really? That's a lot of perspective for a seventeen year-old."

"And how old are you? Better yet, what the fuck are you? And give a straight answer this time."

"All you need to know is that my purpose lies in you, and why. You invited Blair to Tuscany and she took the jet there, and she's waiting for you." Chuck felt a gnawing in the pit of his stomach. "Your choice to follow her or abandon her will change the course of your life."

Chuck snorted. "Spare me. It's summer vacation, for fuck's sake."

"You're afraid. You don't want to invest in her and have it fall apart. You also don't want to disappoint your father or raise his hopes. You're scared."

"That's a lovely psychoanalysis, but I assure you that you're services are not needed," Chuck said snidely, getting fed up with this game. "And don't pretend you understand how I feel about…anyone. Whatever you've come to do, it isn't necessary. Just knock this the hell off and I'll pretend I didn't see anything."

Again, there was the unnerving smile as Amelia rolled the rose on the tips of her fingers and extended it back to him. "This was supposed to be hers."

Chuck wouldn't accept it. "It was a mistake."

The blonde woman shook her head, her curls waving in the light around her. "I need to make you see what you're doing; what will happen if you leave her there now."

"She'll get over it," Chuck said more confidently than he felt, trying to turn his guilt to anger. "Besides, I think we all know that I'm just what she picks after Nathaniel. She's given up on him and I'm conveniently around." His gut burned with his conviction of this belief. He was willing to take Blair any way, but she only wanted him when she couldn't have what she really wanted. At least for what was important—and it wasn't sex this time.

Amelia's strange eyes burned into his, and he got the feeling that she was angry, though her expression didn't reflect it. "Love and fate. I can't explain these things to you, can I? When you've existed as long as I have and done what I've done, you forget how impossible people are. You know nothing. I've seen your future...do you honestly think that a mere sixteen years dictates the rest of your life? Sure, it shapes you in ways, but it only becomes more profound as you move on. Blair is trying to learn that…the hard way, but she's still doing it."

Chuck wanted to ask her how she knew that, but he decided it was an idiotic question in comparison to all of the mind-fuckery that was occurring. He whole-heartedly wished that he could remember taking a hallucinogen earlier; it would be such a relief to know that this wasn't really happening. He sighed, resigned to the fact that this bitch was going to pull something crazy on him and he had no power to stop it. "What do you want from me?" he asked simply.

"If you leave Blair this time, you'll set off a chain of events that you'll never stop. No matter what, you and Blair will be tortured lovers. You'll be unable to stay away from her, but your inability to accept love will ruin you both. You'll cause her more pain than her worst enemy...just because you can."

Chuck's mouth went dry at this scenario and his throat burned with pain. "You're lying," he managed to mutter. "I would…I just have to let her be. Why would I do that?"

"Because it isn't just something that will go away," Amelia responded, annoyed. "I just told you, you're in love with her and you don't know how to treat her because of it. To you, it's unnatural."

"So you're proving my point."

"No, I'm trying to get you to embrace what you feel for her. Because you will never feel it for another woman, and you can't stand to lose this."

Chuck thought about what she was saying, thinking it was ridiculous. Ridiculous for the one reason that everyone in his life seemed to overlook. "I can't be that person. I mean, look at me! Before I knew that you were some creepy witch, I was getting ready to nail you! Is that the kind of person that Blair needs?"

Amelia paused for a moment and actually seemed to consider his words. Hope that she would end this farce raised in Chuck, but with it disappointment. A small part of him cringed and withered at the idea that the omniscient being saw the truth in what Chuck was saying—that he could never make Blair happy.

He needed a drink.

Amelia spoke slowly. "This wasn't what I originally had planned, but I think I need to show you what life would be like if you _did_ get that plane to Tuscany. You need to know what you're capable of…I'll just need to add a little caveat, since this is technically irregular. My superiors may think I'm letting you off easy."

Chuck looked at her as if she had three heads, which probably wouldn't have surprised him, in hindsight. "Letting me off easy? You can tell your wacked-out bosses to ram it up their asses! I have a life!"Chuck's voice dropped lower, the way it did when he was in a truly dangerous mood. "And I'll be damned if I'll have anyone screwing with that."

Amelia smiled. "You can't control it. You can't scheme this away and you can't throw money at it. You're stuck, Charles...but I wish you the best of luck. You're going on a trip now, and my one change is this: you will not remember anything having to do with your romantic relations with Blair Waldorf. The moment she danced for you in your club to now will not exist. You will have no memory of any feelings for her whatsoever."

"What?" Chuck growled. This was _not_ okay. He would never admit it, but those moments with Blair had been some of the best of his life. Yes, there were also some terribly painful ones, but he was discovering that if he had to let go of her forever from this day forward, that he would want to have those memories more than anything. The memory of somebody maybe actually _touching him_ the way he hadn't been at any other time. Even if he had to live the rest of his life knowing that it was always his best friend; he would want the knowledge that he had had her first. He had her virginity forever, something she had preciously clutched to her chest because she wanted to wait. HE had that.

Amelia ignored his feeble protest. "You won't remember this conversation or anything after and including the night Blair broke up with your best friend. And you still have to learn."

"Learn what? When do I get out of this and you put me back in the present?"

"When you learn to love her. And every little thing that goes with it. I'm taking you to your future as it would have happened if you had gone to Tuscany. Ten years in the future." Amelia winked, confusing him for what felt like the hundredth time that afternoon. "Good luck."

She began fading out of his vision, and Chuck felt a little hazy. There was the familiar feeling of his stomach dropping to the ground before the scene was altogether gone and one thought entered his mind: he hoped his father would go for it. If Bart just gave him the chance, he could really do something with Victrola. He had called Blair and asked her to come take a look at it, and they were going to stop by before school. He had to get up.

He had to open his eyes. But for some reason they felt so heavy this morning. He couldn't remember what or who he had done last night, but obviously they had thoroughly exhausted him.

"Darling, could you zip me up?"

He heard a distinctly female voice, one that was terribly familiar. He still couldn't think. He groaned and began to open his eyes. He was on a large and rumpled bed and a woman was sitting with her back to him, in a dress that clung in all the right places. Chuck's mouth began to water as he eyed her beautiful back all the way up to the nape of her neck, where she was holding a mass of brown curls. Just looking at her was making him more aware of his surroundings, which didn't look at all recognizable. Where had he gone last night?

Realizing that she was waiting for him to do as she requested, his hand drifted up to pull up her zipper, unable to keep his fingers from brushing up against her skin. She was like warm velvet. He thought maybe he had met with some hot society wife in a hotel. This obviously wasn't The Palace, but maybe they had been trying to be discreet.

He didn't know why in hell he didn't remember... but he had to congratulate himself on landing such a fine specimen for the night...too bad he couldn't recall what she had been like in bed. She looked sensual enough, but sometimes those girls were just all appearance. Maybe he could give her another run, he thought. It was unusual, but what the hell? He had a little time, didn't he? Well, he didn't _know _the time, but life was short, anyway.

Then she spoke again. And his heart skipped a beat when he figured out who exactly he was with.

"How do I look?"

She was definitely older… possibly even hotter. He didn't know how or why, he could barely register what alternate universe he had dropped into, but all he could do was stare.

She was Blair Fucking Waldorf!

A/N: Review and tell me if this is worth continuing!


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Don't own.

A/N: I am overwhelmed by the response I got from this story and wanted to get you guys another chapter as soon as possible! You're all so wonderful and I hope to hear what you all think about this next part. Keep in mind that Chuck has really been thrown into the world without a life preserver, so he's going to have trouble keeping track of what's what for a little bit. And what you saw in the last part isn't the only stuff that's going to be thrown into the mix. *wink* :) So forgive confused Chuck and bear with me, I promise I have an idea of where I'm going!

"Shit!" Chuck leapt from the bed, tripping into the bedside table, causing this older Blair to take a step towards him in shock and look at him as if he was crazy.

"What on God's green earth was _that_?" she asked him, looking absolutely flummoxed by his behavior.

But Chuck didn't process the words, he was staring...no, gaping at the woman before him, unable to believe his eyes. What the hell was she doing here? What the hell was _he_ doing here? This…this was not how things were supposed to be! Chuck Bass had actually been rendered speechless.

"I—I thought I saw something…" he offered weakly, knowing he had to have some excuse for his behavior and thanking whatever divine being was up there for granting him a quick mind. Blair slowly inclined her head, accepting the lie, but making it very clear that she didn't believe him. He looked around him without recognizing a damn thing and his confusion and disbelief began to trickle from his mouth.

"...how? How are we here?" It was all he could manage to say, and he cursed at how stupid it sounded, because obviously, for some reason _Blair_ seemed to know exactly why they were there. Her eyes then snapped to his face with an impatient look he almost recognized, except it was tapered with something else that he couldn't quite name. But it was the look she always gave to people who asked idiotic questions.

"After that special performance, I think I should be the one asking the questions, don't you? Did I really wear you out so much that you're now unable to form sentences?" she inquired with raised eyebrows. "I think that may be breaking our own threshold of standards." When he didn't answer, fumbling over the unmistakable confirmation that he and Blair Waldorf were having _sex_, she shook her head and walked away from him in the sexy way he loved to admire (no, not really, because she was Nate's girl…and he didn't look all that much…it's not like he was touching anything). "Honestly, Chuck, I hope you're in better form before we go to your father's dinner tonight. Do you have your cards?"

Cards? He didn't have the slightest idea what she was talking about, but he was beginning to believe that he had landed himself in another time. Blair had clearly aged; he could tell by the planes of her face, which weren't quite as soft as before. The sound of her voice too, was a little sharper, with a quality that came with having lived longer. Not that this detracted from her appearance at all, in fact, Chuck was finding it profoundly sexy. He had always been attracted to her; he'd willingly admit that, in the way that he found any beautiful girl attractive. The difference being that she was _Nate's_, the one person whose claim on a girl actually meant something to him. It made her unlike any of the other beautiful girls. And beyond that, she was his friend. A friend that he respected and cared about to some vague extent. He had never bothered to test just how far his respect ran, but he knew it was there.

And now, they were together...in a fucking hotel room. And if not for one thing, he would never think of complaining about it.

She was Nate's.

He would never do that. He would never have betrayed his friend that way. He couldn't have done something like that. Was this the future or some other place...an alternate reality, maybe?

He needed to feel it out, and find out what was going on here.

"Where's Nate, Blair?"

Blair was now putting on her earrings, having given up on getting a response from him about the cards. But now she turned to him, now staring at him like she was clearly questioning his sanity.

"What is _with_ you tonight? Nate will be at the benefit, don't worry, and the bromance can commence, as per usual." She paused as she turned back to the mirror. "You know, if I didn't know better, I'd be jealous."

Jealous over who, Chuck wasn't entirely sure, but if he was here with her (where was here, anyway?) and Nate was elsewhere, he couldn't help but think that this place was shaping up to be nothing like where he had come from.

"Where's the scotch?" came out of his mouth before he could think about it and Blair went completely still. Yeah, he should probably know where the scotch was. For once, he was wishing that he wasn't in this room with Blair alone, she was way too perceptive and would soon be on the scent if he didn't knock it off. "I mean…" he needed to say something more Chuck-like and pray that this Chuck was like him. If not, it would really suck. "I don't know B, I think you and dear S give Nathaniel and I a run for our money. With that said, if you were ever in the mood for a ménage a trios, I'd be more than happy to—"

He only just ducked in time to avoid the brush aimed for his head, looking up to see Blair crossing her arms, with a smirk tilting her lips. He almost smiled too; there was the bitch he knew. "Not even up for discussion! I have it on good authority that someone is keeping you properly satisfied, Bass. But seriously, what's with these questions? I hope age isn't making you slower already...losing your intelligence would be a huge blow. It's one of your only redeeming qualities."

She was teasing him, except it kind of sounded affectionate. And it was weird. Chuck tried to decide what she was implying. Everything that had happened so far would indicate…but that was impossible. Him and Blair? Not the virginal tight-ass he knew who spared him disgusted faces whenever he would send a pervy comment her way (which was often). He couldn't imagine what could have brought Blair from Nate to Chuck, but the Blair he knew would never cheat on her Prince Charming, especially with the "man-whore of Manhattan," as she dryly referred to him; well, at least _his_ Blair had.

It was then, as Chuck was perusing Blair's form again (hey, she wasn't dating Nate here, so he technically didn't have to have boundaries), that he caught the sight of a glittering diamond ring and a wedding band directly above it.

Oh _God_. Had it really come to this? So not only were he and Blair screwing, but she was married and therefore fooling around as well? This was downright depressing. He never expected to be the "other man" to prissy Blair Waldorf. He knew Blair well enough to know that if there was one thing she was, it was faithful.

He didn't think that she could have been married to Nate, because of her earlier comment about their "bromance," spoken so casually. But was she really that sex-starved, that she would turn to an old friend for satisfaction? He couldn't imagine what this world could be like, but he didn't know if he was interested in sticking around to find out.

"What time is it?" he asked the older Blair, thinking it would be a reasonable question.

She was still primping in front of the mirror. "You _are_ wearing the watch I got you for Christmas, Chuck..."

She bought him gifts, too! What kind of arrangement did they have here? He looked down at his hands to check the time and noticed his own ring finger, before gasping in surprise. A wedding ring glinted at him mockingly.

This was getting insane.

He stood up for the first time and started to leave the room, looking for the bar. He needed something to drink. Blair's eyes followed him curiously. "Chuck?"

"Just a minute," Chuck called back to her. He didn't recognize this place, but the bar was not hard to find. He pulled out a glass and began to pour, his mind running. He knew who he was, and that was not someone to get married...ever. The idea wasn't just unappealing to him, it repulsed him. As the amber liquid sloshed into the glass copiously, he wondered if it was a marriage of convenience, because he could easily see his father forcing him into some well-to-do society match. In fact, he didn't have the vaguest idea of why else he would be married. And if he was cheating, why with Blair? She was literally the only girl he knew that wouldn't put-out and _she_ was his choice of adultery companion? And she was married. Older Blair was obviously a huge skank.

Older Blair had followed him to the bar and was now watching him, but he was still lost in thought. He was young, still. At least he felt pretty young and since Blair looked about 25, he must be as well. And it occurred to him that he hadn't looked in a mirror yet.

"I had to pick the man that regularly _broods_ didn't I?" she said more to herself than anything. Chuck guzzled down his first glass before pouring himself another. He had to wake up from this fucking nightmare…especially since he dropped into this universe _after_ the other Chuck got to enjoy the sex! Speaking of, he wondered how Waldorf would be in bed...

Chuck couldn't stop looking at her. She was standing there with her hands on her hips, looking absolutely ravishing. And he couldn't help but tell her so.

"Have I told you how good you look?" he asked her softly. He might as well take advantage of the situation, since he would never be able to say or do any of this with the Blair in his world. "Do you know what I want to do with you right now?"

Laughing, Blair approached him, putting her hand on his arm to pull him back into the room. He allowed her to do so, dazedly, but snatched his glass off the counter and took another large swallow. "Yes, and I think we _already _did that. Chuck, you need to get ready for Bart's benefit."

"Bart's...benefit," he said slowly and Blair began to look genuinely concerned.

"Did you hit your head or something?"

A thought occurred to him and he looked down at her. "Are you going with me to the benefit?"

Blair dropped his arm and stared at him. Yeah, she was definitely going with him. "Alright, have you taken something, Bass?" Her tone was ringing with _you better not have_ and Chuck wondered if he had quit that too. This Chuck had quite the dull existence. "Because if I wanted to answer inane questions for the rest of my life, I would have married Nate."

Chuck finally shook his head, though he wasn't sure if he had taken drugs or not. He was beginning to see something else, as unbelievable as he might have thought it. But there weren't many other possibilities... she bought him gifts and went to parties on his arm and told him what to do—he was coming to the conclusion that he and Blair were _married_, and not just fooling around.

This had to be a dream.

Blair just nodded lightly at him, still frowning and found his suit, handing it to him. "Just put this on, please. We don't have time for this; Bart is expecting you to make the toast."

Chuck wanted to exclaim in surprise when she told him that, but he withheld his astonishment when he saw the worried look on her face. He didn't want to upset her, really. And he sure as hell didn't want anyone thinking he was nuts. He had to figure out what the fuck was going on here without alerting anyone to the fact that he wasn't the Chuck that everyone seemed to think he was. And then, he had to find a way to get back to where he had come from while the previous Chuck could have his body back.

It was giving him a headache just thinking about it, but it was the situation. And if his life of social destruction had taught him anything, it was to cultivate the ability to adapt. He smirked; he could do this. He looked at the older Blair again...he could do this, and _enjoy_ it.

Her brown eyes were studying him intently, the way she did in high school whenever she was evaluating something. It was surprising him that he found himself mentally reciting what her facial expressions meant, as if he had subconsciously stored the knowledge and packed it away without knowing. It _was_ coming in handy at the moment, but the idea still slightly disturbed him.

He finally got a good look in the mirror and was quite pleased with what he saw. He still had his chiseled features and sharp jawline. His hair was still on his head and dark brown (that bit had worried him, since Bart had grayed early), and he was still fit. He did up his tie expertly and grinned into the mirror. He was going to have no problem finding company for the night, he thought, feeling rather uplifted. Women loved older men.

"Cufflinks," Blair said, handing them off to him.

Oh shit, that's right...he was married. And most likely to Blair Waldorf, who would definitely castrate him both viciously and publicly if he so much as glanced another woman's way. Actually, she'd do it in private, so she could prolong the agony. He was surprised to find that he had scruples about cheating on Blair, as if she _was_ actually his wife or something...

Or maybe it was that the idea of Blair getting insanely jealous over him was making him all hot. He had been wary of touching her ever since he had fallen into whatever this was, because deep down he knew this wasn't real. This woman was another man's wife and if the Chuck that she knew was any part of him, he couldn't feel right betraying that man. Unfortunately, this Blair didn't know that, and would expect things from him. And the temptation was just too much.

Now she was adjusting one of his cufflinks like she had done it for years, standing too close to him and breathing softly and without much thought, Chuck's hand went behind her graceful neck and pulled her up for a kiss. He pressed his mouth firmly to hers, half-expecting her to push him away. But after initial surprise at the suddenness of it, Blair responded, prompting him to deepen the kiss.

Chuck was someone who had always studied beautiful women. So he knew Blair Waldorf's face—her deep, doe brown eyes, her full, red lips and her china doll face. But _feeling_ her the way that he was right now was a different matter. It was incredible.

There was nothing inexpert about the way her lips were moving against his, pulling him in, but never enough to satisfy. He had never felt anything like it, this immediate jolt of familiarity that for the first time since he had woken up, everything felt just perfect. She was simply meant to kiss him and their lips made sense against each other's.

What was most jarring was the passion that rose up between them hard and fast. He didn't expect only a kiss to be so uninhibited and practiced, especially with Blair, his friend and partner-in-crime. In lieu of all of this, Chuck panicked, because if there was one thing he knew, it was that if something felt so _right_, it was bound to be wrong. In response to that thought, he broke the kiss a little more urgently than he should have, his heart thudding against his chest.

He wished that she would step away, because he didn't know if he could control himself. Her lips were swollen and her chest was heaving and the _she giggled_. Oh, he felt his body react to that sound like nothing he had ever felt before and he was so alarmed by the desire that he concentrated on a spot just above her shoulder, hoping that she would move. Thankfully, she seemed to have read his mind and took a step back. He watched in amazement as she lifted his arm to look at his watch, one pressing question in his mind at the moment. How she could be so different from the Blair he knew?

He was definitely banking on this being an alternate reality.

"We," she said quietly, pressing another quick kiss to his mouth and pulling away before he could do anything primordial, "are going to be very late if we don't leave now."

"Right..." Chuck said, following her as she took some make-up out of her clutch to do a touch-up after that kiss. He really wanted her.

Despite how disoriented he was, being dropped here out of nowhere, he still had the born manners of a consummate gentleman. And he took great amusement in knowing that it was one of the most deceptive things about him. He reached for her coat and helped her into it. Her proximity to him was again making him uneasy as she slipped into the coat and his hands lingered on her shoulders.

It was the strangest experience of his life. A few intimate moments with Blair (not the same Blair, he had to continually remind himself) and the attraction had come on so strong and blinding. He had never seen her like this before, but he was enthralled like he had never been before. It was a horrible thing to come to terms with, because when he figured out how to get back to his own time and his own world, he couldn't feel this way about the Blair he had grown up with.

That Blair was pure and clutched her fairytales to her chest like they would disappear if she didn't. And the sad truth was, that if she didn't hold them so tight, they probably would. That Blair was in a relationship with his best friend and though Nate took her for granted and transparently pined for Serena van der Woodsen, Blair would always be the woman in his life. Chuck pitied him for that, because even if he didn't stay with Blair, Nate just wasn't wired to be alone. He _loved_ and dealt with the constraints that came with it. If it wasn't Blair, it was Serena.

But Serena would flit away just like she always did, and Nate would be left with Blair, who was safe and perfect. They would have the perfect marriage and Chuck would be their rich, derelict friend. Blair was, and always would be, the one line that Chuck could never cross.

His hands flew off her shoulders and Blair turned to him for a last minute straightening of his jacket and tie, as if he needed it. Then paused, like something had just occurred to her. "Chuck, cards."

"What?"

"For the speech! Where are they?" Blair was exasperated, crinkling her nose in dismay. "And no, you aren't going to _wing it_. That may have gotten you off the hook one time, but I doubt you'll be drawing any inspiration from your untapped feelings for Bart!"

He...had no clue what she was talking about, but he gathered that he was making a speech at a benefit for his father and he had written the thing on index cards. He decided to disregard the last bit, it was probably a memory of hers that he hadn't experienced yet. "Relax, Waldorf, I'll get them."

He realized too late that he probably didn't call her 'Waldorf' anymore, but she didn't say anything, so maybe that was okay. He strode back to the bedroom and pulled open the bedside table drawer, knowing that's where _he_ would keep something of that nature. Sure enough, they were tucked neatly on top and he felt a glimmer of triumph. At least some things about this weren't so bad...in some ways the Chuck of this world was probably just like him.

He was returning to the hallway—to Blair—when he heard a light tapping, like feet running against the hard floor. "Daddy!" Chuck stopped dead in his tracks as a small girl with dark brown curls ran over to him, launching herself at his legs. "I don't want you and Mommy to go!" she whimpered, pressing her little body against his knees.

Chuck couldn't breathe.

A/N: Introducing the newest twist to the story! Pint-sized, but definitely going to throw Chuck for another loop! So, please review and tell me if you like it, honestly. I wasn't sure that I really liked this chapter as much as I would have wanted, but I thought I owed it to you guys to try and put one up quickly. :)


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Don't own.

A/N: Okay, I'm going to start replying to reviews. The only reason I haven't been responding is because I've been working on getting these chapters out! You guys have been wonderful with the response and I really appreciate it. Keep going, it gives me sooo much inspiration!

I'm sorry if you don't like the daughter's name, I decided to give her an inversion of Lily's name in order to establish the importance of Lily in Chuck's life (since he doesn't know about her and his father). Yes…and Bart IS alive! Basically because I like the dynamic with him and Chuck and thought it was a waste of good storyline to kill him. Also, because this is an alternate timeline, things will be a little different all around. So there may be some more surprises.

****NOTE: I've been getting some reviews about Chuck being aware of his past relationship with Blair, in other words, that he has already taken her virginity. But if you read chapter 1 again, you'll see that Chuck was transported to the time right before episode 1x07. In other words, he has NOT had a romantic relationship of any kind with Blair yet. Absolutely none. So that is why he is nervous about Blair romantically...because in his mind, she is still Nate's steady girlfriend. So just to clarify.

Also, I'll try to get the updates up, but I have exams the next two weeks, so they might not be out as quickly. Anyway, here's the next chapter!

"You didn't even read me a story!" the little girl cried woefully, tugging on Chuck's pants. "And you _promised_!"

Chuck ordered himself not to hyperventilate. The child was not his and hadn't meant to call him "Daddy". It couldn't be, because he had hated stories when he was a boy (he conveniently neglected the fact that someone else he knew _loved_ to be read to when she was younger and he, himself, loathed stories mostly because only nameless, faceless strangers had the time to read to him). Also, it was a girl-child, and Bass men only produced Bass men. Chuck knew his family tree, and the facts were all there. They preserved the legacy; otherwise they didn't reproduce because they sucked at child-rearing.

Obviously, the small terror was used to immediate gratification because when Chuck only stared at her, mystified, she glared up at him and gave an almighty tug at his pants. "_Da_-dee!"

Her whining was making him cringe, but he couldn't exactly run away. Blair might consider that bad parenting, and she was holding so tight to him that he would probably drag her along in he tried to escape. If she was anything like Blair, the little monster would persistently hold on for dear life until he surrendered. He slowly knelt in front of her, disentangling her little hand from his legs and studied her.

She was a mini-Blair, that was for sure. And Chuck had to admit that she was indeed, a beautiful child. Even though her eyes were glittering with tears, they were large, innocent, and chocolate brown. Her long tresses were dark and silky and a bow was dangling limply from the back. She had a tiny, button nose and a pouty little mouth. It was a perfect, porcelain face.

And unfortunately, her screams were not nearly as angelic as her looks. "What's _wrong_ with you?" he asked her, unable to hide his derision. The child seemed to pick up on his tone of voice and stopped short, looking at him through wet lashes. Chuck then realized that her father probably wouldn't have said that quite in the same manner, so he tried to explain calmly. "Unless some wild animal is attacking you, there's really no need to scream like a wild banshee..."

She only blinked at him, and Chuck was beginning to feel exponentially more uncomfortable, until he heard heels clicking along the floor and Blair appeared in the room, frowning. The little girl also turned at the noise and ran without hesitation into her mother's arms. "Mommy!" She grasped onto Blair, who wordlessly bent and picked her up, listening intently. Chuck stared.

"I don't want you to go! This is the second night this week that you've gone away at the night!"

Blair quirked an eyebrow and held the little girl close, obviously thinking the same thing that Chuck was—she was a little young to be keeping that good of a gauge on time. "And how do you know that, darling?"

"Dorota told me," she answered superiorly, her hand buried reflexively in her mother's curls. "I miss you when you go! And Daddy forgot to read to me!"

"Did Daddy?" she asked, turning to Chuck with a small smirk on her lips. The little girl didn't notice her mother's expression, because she was glaring accusingly at Chuck, her little lip out in a pout. Then Blair turned back to her daughter and jostled her playfully in her arms. "I'm not sure that that's true, baby. I think Daddy just got sidetracked...it was my fault a little bit."

"Your fault?" the girl asked, surprised that her mother could have done such an insensitive thing.

"Yes," she admitted. "I distracted Daddy."

"'Stracted him with what?"

Now it was Chuck's turn to smirk, but Blair was saved a response when Dorota rushed in quickly, scolding the child. "Ms. Liliana, it very naughty to run off. You have bedtime now! And you must not keep Mommy and Daddy from party."

Blair pet her daughter's hair and kissed her on the head. "Daddy will read you _two _stories tomorrow, won't you Daddy?" They both turned to look at him again, twin sets of mocking brown eyes appraising Chuck as he stood there, in wonder.

There was only one thing to say. "Of course," he responded, his mouth dry.

Blair then bent and kissed Liliana's head. "Good night, precious...we'll be back by the time you wake up. Say good night to Daddy and then it's time for bed, alright?"

But Liliana was looking at Chuck distrustfully and her hands tightened around Blair's neck, refusing to let go. Blair shot Chuck a confused look and he began to panic. The last thing he needed was for Blair to become really suspicious of him. He had enough to deal with at the moment.

Unfortunately, as Blair silently prompted him to say good-night to the kid, he realized that he had no idea what to do. And his "daughter" was being less than accommodating; he couldn't help but think that a mix of him (other Chuck, that is) and Blair was probably a child that could hold a grudge more damning than the fires of Hell. He finally settled for patting her head awkwardly, feeling like a big jerk for being so clueless with her. "Um...good night...Liliana. I'll see you in the morning."

If Blair thought that his behavior was unusual, she was reserving her acknowledgement until her daughter was gone. Her face revealed nothing as she handed Liliana off to Dorota and started to the elevators once the girl had disappeared upstairs. Chuck donned his jacket, with his note cards safely in the breast pocket, before following her into the elevator. Once he pressed the button for the lobby and the doors closed, Blair looked over at him.

"What was that about? You looked terrified when I told her to say good night to you...what did she do, threaten to break your kneecaps for forgetting her story?" So, she _had_ noticed his inability to communicate with "their" daughter, which meant that other Chuck was most likely a good father...which meant that other Chuck was definitely not him fully grown. If there had been any shadow of a doubt before, there wasn't now. Chuck Bass was not domestic and never would be, and that was why he would never marry anyone, least of all Blair Waldorf, who thrived off of the notion of a perfect Upper East Side life. That was why he wasn't Nate.

When he didn't answer, Blair reached up and felt his forehead.

The gesture startled him; it was too gentle and sweet…it was something a mother would do, and he had never really had one of those or anyone else that cared enough to check to see if he had a fever. It was a painful reminder that he wasn't where he was supposed to be. The intimacy of the touch made him want to push her hand away, but he forced himself to be still for a second while she pressed the back of her hand to him, concern in her eyes. But finally, he couldn't stand it anymore and he lifted his own hand to remove hers.

"I'm fine, Blair, really." He was mildly surprised at how easy her name slipped off his tongue, when she wasn't truly Blair to him. The Blair he knew was the Queen of Constance and Nate Archibald's girlfriend and he _had _to remember that. "I just have a headache...and I didn't mean to upset her so much..."

Explaining himself to her felt very strange. Before he was simply trying to process the situation he had landed in, and when he spoke with her, it wasn't roleplay, but genuine confusion. Now he was trying to learn a character that he had never met, in a setting he wasn't familiar with, living a life that was completely foreign to him. The husband and the father. He wasn't even sure what that entailed, but if he was going to find out how to escape this world without getting committed for insanity, he would have to play it cool at all times.

Blair laughed, thinking perhaps, that he was _unhappy _about the little girl's willful snubbing of him and not the fact that she could raise suspicion with her behavior. "I'm sure that Daddy's girl will be back in full swing by sundown tomorrow, when he reads her _two_ stories."

But Chuck wasn't smiling. The implications of all of this were beginning to sink in and he didn't like the looks of it. This little girl was expecting a devoted father—when she was going to get the furthest thing from it. It wasn't that he disliked...Liliana (what was with that name anyway?); at any other time, he would have been highly amused by her and appreciated what a cute little girl she was. If he could feel any pride in the fact that the spawn of him and Blair would definitely be a sight to behold (and even in that brief meeting, he could already see flashes of the child's perception and intelligence...she already could tell that something was not quite right with her "Daddy"), he would have. But this wasn't his life and Chuck didn't pretend to have any ability with children...although, he would have thought that Blair would grow up to be a distant UES parent much like the ones they currently possessed, but he seemed to be wrong on that count. Blair looked very natural with her daughter and the child seemed to reciprocate the adoration.

The slid into the limo together and Blair leaned back on the seat, watching him. "What are you thinking about?"

"How much she looks like you," Chuck said honestly. Maybe it was because she was so young, or that he had seen her so briefly, but he hadn't noticed a single one of her features resembling his own. In fact, when she had raced to him and clasped his knees, he was almost sure that it was a phantom—a child Blair running to him.

Blair favored him with a genuine half-smile before replying. "There's no need to be jealous...you know that DNA tests prove that she's genetically half yours. If appearance doesn't allow you to stake your claim, science certainly does."

Oh please. At this point, he'd rather that little girl-child was the product of the valet. At least he wouldn't have to feel like such a douchebag for being entirely unequipped as a father, for however long or short a time that he was stuck here.

He didn't want to talk about it anymore. Exploring his inadequacies right before public speaking was never a brilliant thing to do. He turned to Blair next to him, placing a hand on her thigh. He should concentrate on the things he excelled at. "I think I need a confidence booster," he said smartly, knowing that she couldn't mistake his intentions. "You know, me about to make a speech, and everything."

Blair's smile was knowing as she leaned in and kissed him. He was still couldn't get a grip on the fact that she was his wife, and he was able to do and say what he liked without the receiving a snarky reply or a slap for good measure. He wasn't used to seeing her so...willing, even with Nathaniel, who reluctantly would admit to him that Blair was an Olympic champion cocktease.

This Blair's lips were hot and persistent, and he was so taken in by her that he could barely breathe. She was making little noises as their kisses intensified, and he was touching and feeling and holding as hard as he could, just so he could remind himself that it wasn't an allusion. She was...magnificent.

She was straddling him with all of the sexual boldness he could believe of Blair Waldorf, pulling at his shirt collar. She obviously habitually did this with other Chuck, it was apparent in her every move. He was beginning to see that this relationship he had become a part of was highly sexual…and who could blame them? It was the most magnetic thing he had ever experienced in his life.

"Remember the first time?" she murmured breathlessly as she broke from his lips for a moment. "When you took me? Right in this very limo?"

Chuck had never gotten hard so fast in his life. He had to restrain himself from outright attacking her and ruining her dress, knowing that in any universe, Blair would make him pay dearly if she didn't look pristine for an event. Was she seriously saying that he took her virginity in the limo? He urgently made a note that not under any circumstances, could he _ever_ give the Blair of his time period a ride home again. The last thing he needed was for Nathaniel to discover that Chuck had molested his girlfriend just because she found herself in a limo alone with him. And he knew that he would never be able to control himself around her after hearing that.

"Chuck…"Blair's voice was bringing him back to reality. "Chuck, we need to stop. We'll be there in about thirty seconds."

Chuck groaned, knowing that he was going to have to relax and quickly in order to keep from embarrassing himself at this benefit thing. Blair was composing herself next to him, and she was fixing her disheveled appearance like an old pro. Fortunately, men had a bit less to worry about than women, and he was pretty sure that after pushing back his short hair and fixing his shirt, he didn't look any worse for wear.

"How do I look?" Blair had turned to him after closing the kit she must leave in the limo just for these occasions, no visible signs of their encounter with the exception of her slightly flushed cheeks. Chuck couldn't help but appreciate how much more alluring it made her look.

"Beautiful," he said frankly. "And shockingly unravished."

She laughed at that and the limo came to a stop. Chuck stepped out first and offered her his hand, which she took. "Do you know where Bart said he'd be?" Older Blair asked looking through the people, probably hoping to see his father. "Or at least if we could spot Lily..."

"Lily?" Chuck asked in bewilderment. Blair shot him a bemused stare at his tone.

"Yes, Lily," she repeated slowly. "You know, your step-mother...we named our daughter for her...blond hair..."

"Lily van der Woodsen? Serena's mom?"

"Chuck, what is wrong with you?" Blair sounded distinctly worried and Chuck remembered himself. This was going to be much more difficult than he thought, especially with his lack of knowledge about _anything_.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention. I was too busy looking at the woman in the red and her hideous choice of accessory." Chuck spoke so quickly he was almost tripping over his own words. He had luckily noticed an ugly old biddy that had attached herself to the arm of someone who looked vastly out-of-place. Chuck hated when he saw people who had visibly been dragged into their world without a clue as to how to behave. It really dampened the atmosphere. And he knew that Blair would happily echo that sentiment and accept the excuse.

"As much as I share your disgust over the unfortunate Mrs. Winthrop marrying a salesman, you're going to have to let it go. It's not like we speak to them." Chuck smirked at her, instinctively wrapping his arm around her waist. He only just barely got out of that one, because other Chuck must have the same distaste for lower class invaders...he needed to be more careful.

It was then that he realized that he didn't recognize about 25% of the inhabitants of the room. He was happy that he could distinguish the majority as people who were usually at these things in his time, but it was still unnerving to be unsure about the rest. Chuck made it his business to know the dirt on everyone, and his ignorance was doubly horrible when he was married to the one person who was regularly as informed as him.

"Oh, I see them," Blair said brightly, leading him by the hand over to where his father was standing in the corner of the room with Lily van der Woodsen (he couldn't _believe_ she had married his father...and stayed married—there had to be 1/1 million odds on that), Serena, looking just as generically hot as usual and...fucking Dan Humphrey?

That pathetic little Brooklyn sap was here? Serena was distracted by shiny objects, for Christ's sake, and this was the _one time_ she decided to retain the ability to focus on a relationship, some stupid, high school slumming period? What ass-backwards place was this?

Before they could reach the small group, Chuck found himself yanking on Blair's hand, pulling her back with him. Blair looked startled by his sudden halt. "What's wrong?"

He pointed over a Humphrey's dark head as he conversed with Lily van der Woodsen. "That."

Blair rolled her eyes when she realized what Chuck was talking about. "Oh, _that_. Why are you picking _today_ to be overdramatic about people you don't like? I thought we agreed that while it may be unsavory, we had to acknowledge that Humphrey would be making regular appearances at events where we would find ourselves and sometimes…our penthouse," the word was laced with revulsion. "But I don't want to upset Serena and neither do you, so suck it up, Bass. I don't want to deal with any more of your PMS." He was surprised when she countered her harsh words with a peck on the cheek and continued leading him to that corner of the room. "And this is for your father, so just forget about Humphrey."

Bart…he hadn't given much thought to his father. Chuck couldn't help but wonder where he and his dad stood in this world (or time…or whatever it was). He was going to make a speech in the man's honor, so hopefully the relationship was a little more stable than the one he dealt with at home.

"Blair! Charles!" Lily exclaimed, embracing Blair with two air kisses. Then he moved to Chuck and hugged him tightly. Chuck tried to wipe the look of bafflement off of his face as quickly as possible, and smiled when she pulled back.

"Lily, how are you?" he asked politely. He made it a point to ignore Dan, who was standing there awkwardly.

Lily smiled. "I'm wonderful. And your father and I appreciate you giving the toast," she said, gesturing to Bart. Chuck's father nodded his head.

"Blair, Chuck." Chuck even thought that he saw his dad's mouth turn slightly upward, but he wasn't positive. "How is Liliana?"

"Asleep, I hope," Blair responded crisply, after offering a tight nod of greeting to Dan.

Serena flounced around behind Blair and gave her a hug. Chuck noticed that being an adult did nothing to sober the "It" girl of Manhattan. "Yes, how is my goddaughter, lovely little Lils?"

"She's still bouncing off the walls from that disgusting, gigantic _wad_ of cotton candy you bought her, S." Blair replied, hugging her back. "I still can't believe you fed my child glorified sugar on a stick."

"Aw…come on, B! Let her live a little!"

Even Chuck took exception to that. He may not want to play daddy to the kid, but he wouldn't have poisoned her either. "Evening...sis." Chuck figured that Serena was considered his sister now that Lily was married to Bart, and she was probably incredibly annoyed by that.

"Good evening, Chuck," Serena said lightly. She looked somewhere past Chuck's shoulder and her face lit up. "Nate!"

Chuck's stomach dropped in horror and he removed his hand from Blair's back so quickly that she gave him a look. Nate was the same old Nate, and he leaned over to kiss both Blair and Serena on the cheeks. "Nice to see you too, S," he said casually, while shaking Bart's hand. Then he looked over at Chuck, standing beside Blair.

"How's my man?" he asked congenially, slapping his best friend on the back.

Chuck couldn't even speak. He couldn't shake the feeling of how fundamentally wrong this all seemed, surrounded by everyone. None of them thought this was strange…they were all smiling and laughing. Nate could look at him and Blair, understand that they were married and had a child (hell, he was probably her godfather!) and not even flinch? Where was he?

"I'm good, Nate. But if you'll excuse me, I need to use the restroom." Without waiting for anyone's response, Chuck stepped out of the group and walked off to get air. He was happy that he was at a familiar venue and easily found the bathroom, unoccupied.

He was trying to cover, but he didn't know if he could make this work. There was nothing to manipulate and everybody else was completely content to go on with their lives, unaware that Chuck wasn't the person they all thought he was. He wasn't Blair's husband or Serena's brother or Dan Humphrey's…well, tolerated acquaintance. And he wasn't Liliana's father.

What if he couldn't get back? The thought was making him nauseous, because if he didn't, he could quite possibly ruin his "daughter" the way his father ruined him. And he couldn't be a proper friend to Nate when he felt anything like the asshole that stole his girlfriend...when he felt like he was betraying him every time he looked at Blair.

And Blair...there was no way in Hell that he was going to be able to fool Blair without more help. And though he may not love her or really seriously care for anybody, Blair was his friend and had been since before kindergarten. He didn't want to hurt her, but he couldn't help but think that if he didn't get out of here, it was inevitable.

A/N: Well there you go! Chuck is beginning to feel the effects of the alternate world...and he's starting to panic. Please review and tell me what you think!


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Don't own.

A/N: Alright, instead of doing the mounds of homework I currently have, I wrote this. I really shouldn't have, but I couldn't help it. I'm a little miffed about the Lily situation on the show, but I'm continually telling myself that MY Lily isn't the same and is still married to Bart and DOES have a soul, so don't view Lily negatively in this story…because that's definitely not the way I want to portray her!

****NOTE: Also, I think I have some of the readers a little confused about the time thing. This fic starts going AU from 1x18, BUT if you read the first chapter, "Amelia" sends Chuck's mind back to before 1x07 (in other words, before he took Blair's virginity and she and Nate broke up) while sending him ten years into the future. I really don't want confusion about this, so I thought I'd say it again here.

And like I said, I really shouldn't have written this chapter...so please reward my bad behavior and read and review! :)

He couldn't cut and run this time. Chuck may have been a cynic, but he knew that there had to be some reason that he was thrown into this. He had to believe that, or the entire situation was hopeless. And if there was a purpose in all of this, that meant that it lay in something that was a part of this life...the other Chuck's life. The differences between him and the other Chuck were innumerable, but at the same time, they were frightfully alike. They shared certain things, and then they didn't share other things. The question was: what did the other Chuck have that he needed? It was a stretch, but it was the only thing Chuck had to go on.

He couldn't leave. If he wanted to get out of here and move on with his real life, he needed to start searching _now_. But first, he had to start being more convincing, and he wasn't sure how he was going to pull that off. To say that the scene in the ballroom shook him up would be an understatement; the pressure he felt was immense, the room suddenly stifling.

He was sure why he hadn't felt it before—maybe it was that the initial confusion hadn't worn off until they had arrived at the benefit...maybe it was Blair... he didn't know. He might have been so wrapped up in all of the horrible, newfound domesticity that he hadn't thought of everything else.

This Chuck was ten years older—he had noticed the date on the invitation that Blair was carrying to this thing. He had a child that was about three years old from the looks of it, and he probably had a job...oh and the wife, we mustn't forget the wife!

Chuck would assume that by this time he was working under his father. At least that's where he would expect to be in _his_ world ten years from now. And if his father died, he could expect to inherit. The problem was that in his real life, there would be time to train up and prepare for that eventuation. But if he had to work at Bass Industries now, he wouldn't know what the fuck to do! And the kid...he didn't quite know why, but that was one of the worst things he felt he was facing and it kept popping into his head (that and the whole mystery of the Nate-Blair-Chuck triangle).

The important thing was to find out everything available about this Chuck's life and use what he could to his advantage _and_ get out of here before the perceptive little girl-child or the ever-observant Blair or any one of his friends or family noticed that he was...not their Chuck.

Having felt sorry for himself for long enough, Chuck straightened up, adjusted his tie, and walked back out into the party. When he did, he had barely had the time to properly mingle when Blair materialized at his side, and if he hadn't known the other Blair and her predilection for finding exactly what she wanted, he would have jumped at her sudden appearance. "There you are, darling!" She leaned into him while tucking her hand into the crook of his arm, guiding him away from clusters of people.

"You left so abruptly...is something going on? You know I hate it when you don't tell me things."

"Everything's fine," he assured her.

He had known this was going to be an impediment from the beginning. Blair was just too smart not to know that something strange was going on. Fortunately, she was too much of a realist to assume anything as ridiculous as what was actually happening.

"Chuck, you can tell me…" she said and her voice was lowering, the way it did when she was feeling particularly dangerous.

"It's nothing I can't handle by myself. Don't you think if I needed your assistance, I would let you know?" he said hurriedly.

"Chuck, you know our deal…if you insist upon doing things on your own, then I will insist upon doing things on _my _own," she said significantly.

He didn't have a clue what she was talking about, but he would guess that it had to do with some past incident. And he was sure that he wasn't supposed to like it.

He noticed that she was leading them to an abandoned corridor and the voices the filled the hall were getting dimmer. She couldn't possibly be doing what he thought she was doing…not in public?

"Do you want it in blood, Waldorf? I promise that everything is fine."

"It better be, for your sake," she said sweetly as they found themselves alone. Before he knew how he got there, he was pressed to the wall and her body was completely melded to his. "Because I have my ways of…extracting information." Blair's hand went to the waist of his pants and then further south and Chuck swallowed before he winced at how perilously close her touch was to his... If she didn't remove her hand, he was going to end up giving the toast with a noticeable hard-on.

"Blair..." he growled and she scoffed at him, moving his hands around her and he found that he couldn't bring himself to release her.

So this is how she played now…and with good reason. Chuck had never felt so turned on in his life by any woman. It made him wonder how he could have possibly missed all of the rampant sex appeal and raw seductive talent that Blair possessed. He was never going to be able to look at her the same way again.

"Blair, mercy..." he hissed through gritted teeth, amazed that he was even begging. "I'm not keeping anything from you."

"Right," she purred in his ear. He groaned...he shouldn't be doing this. He _wouldn't_ be doing this if he could just think straight. There was a reason to avoid these situations—he just couldn't think of it right now. Not with her right _here_. "We'll see about that later, won't we?"

"Tonight..." Chuck said breathlessly, taking her lips with his own. His theory about marriage sucking the enjoyment out of sex was apparently way off. Blair was insatiable and he was pretty sure that he could do this day in and day out for _years_ without getting bored. He didn't know what it was about her, but alarm bells were going off in his head. He had never been with a woman before without thinking that there would always be another screw. There was a tomorrow; there was the same routine. But in this moment, there was only _her_.

Something was beginning to happen to him; he didn't know what it was, but it was making him nervous. But she was assaulting everything and he couldn't think or reason. He was about to pull away then, but someone got there first and saved him the trouble. They both snapped apart when they heard loud throat-clearing.

The only fleeting thought as he turned his head towards the noise was that it was Nate who had walked in and he was going to get a good punch to the face. But he experienced a heavy mix of relief and embarrassment when he saw that it was Bart. He looked over at Blair, expecting her to be mortified, but instead she was only faintly blushing, and biting her lip.

Bart, for his part, politely waited until they had composed themselves before speaking. "Chuck, you're going to be wanted out there in about five minutes. I told Lily I would come and gather you and Blair."

"Thank you, Bart," Blair said calmly, barely concerned with the fact that her father-in-law had found them in a compromising position. "We'll be out in a minute."

When Bart had retreated, Blair shook her head with a smirk and Chuck raised his eyebrows. "That was a bit awkward, wasn't it?"

Blair shrugged. "I don't think he's very surprised. This is what? The fourth time?"

As they walked, Chuck actually felt like he was moving into the steady rapport that he used to share with the other Blair—and it was something of a comfort. But still, he would rather that his father be generally unaware and not privy to his sexcapades…

"Have you no shame, Waldorf?" he asked her, pulling her close the way he used to in his own time when they would joke around. Now, it wasn't the same, because she was his _wife_. He still couldn't say that out loud; he almost felt like if it came out that everyone around him would look at him like he was crazy and deny it, telling him that he was wrong—impossible.

"I think we lost that when Serena found us in the coat closet on Thanksgiving Day, don't you?"

Chuck winced at the memory that wasn't his own, thankfully. "We can't really be all over each other that much, can we?" He congratulated himself on offering what sounded like a rhetorical question, but would give him some honest information.

Blair snorted and didn't respond as they strode back into the room. "What do you think are the odds that our little girl is tucked safely in bed at the moment?"

Chuck shrugged at the change of topic. "Hopefully very high." He didn't want her to be awake to shed more doubt on him. He needed to form a game-plan first.

"Oh and speaking of which, there's been a new development with the Serena situation. I know that I told you that we would have months before I would be able to get something, but I think we've got the bastard this time."

Again, Chuck had no idea what Blair was talking about. But since Serena normally got herself into highly publicized or very critical kinds of trouble, he was hoping to be able to pull up information on that. For now, there was very little to say that wouldn't give away his ignorance. As they took their seats again, he whispered back to her. "...good. Fill me in later. It's too risky getting into this here."

"And don't think I've forgotten your mysterious disappearance, Bass. I'll want answers about that, too."

It was only a few moments later that Chuck was introduced to make the toast honoring his father. It was actually a relaxing task for him because he had always excelled at public speaking. He had the kind of confidence and aggression that was necessary, and the quick mind to act naturally when in front of an audience. Also, other Chuck had already written the entire speech, so all he had left to do was follow the words, while having faith in other Chuck's writing ability.

When he was finished, his was greeted with some applause and Bart accept whatever it was that they were attending for. But now that his moment was over, Chuck had other things on his mind. He turned a deaf ear to the laudatory remarks at the table and thought about the best way to obtain information on this life he was supposed to have led.

Getting it quickly all depended on just how alike the other Chuck was to himself... Mike would be a useful resource, if he was still around. And surely Chuck had a vault full of sensitive information somewhere at home or his presumed office at Bass Industries. He wanted to test out these options as soon as possible, but he would have to wait until he could skip out of this stupid party.

At the end of the night, Bart shook his hand. "That was a fine speech, Charles...I appreciate it."

Well, _someone _was whistling a different tune in this time period! "It was my pleasure, Dad."

Bart nodded. "Say goodnight to Blair for me; I need to find Lily." Bart stalked off easily and Chuck had to smile a little. They seemed to be on better terms here, but Chuck supposed that Bart Bass would be Bart Bass no matter what universe he belonged to...

Unlike some people. "Hello stranger," Blair said, just returning from making her rounds. Chuck had noticed that while they had always been rather high on the Upper East Side caste system, Chuck and Blair had reached pure royalty in the past ten years. And he was pretty sure that he would have been highly amused to discover exactly what they had done and who they had blackmailed to earn such respect. High school was one thing...society took on an entirely different echelon. "Miss me?"

"Dearly," he responded. "And I'm more than ready to get out of here."

"Not so fast, man." It was Nate, laughing from behind him. "We've barely talked this entire night."

It was true. Mostly because Chuck was trying his damndest to avoid his blonde best friend. Chuck had figured out quickly that he was going to maintain a pretense of normalcy, he was going to have to keep thoughts of his true life out of his head. And Nate did nothing for that particular goal. In the back of his head, Chuck _knew_ that if he was with Blair now, then there must have been a tear in his friendship with Nate at some point. Because no matter the distance and time, best friend's ex's were strictly off-limits, and Chuck had not adhered to those rules. He just desperately wanted to know how big the tear in their relationship had been.

"Blair, uh, I think Serena wanted you…" Nate stammered in a terrible lie. Chuck almost had to laugh.

Blair did, albeit nervously. He could tell she didn't want to leave, and Chuck wondered if this involved her, whatever it was. "Yeah, okay, Nate. But next time, make your excuses a little less transparent."

Nate almost smiled at her, but there was also the shadow of something else, more serious. Either it was because of Blair or the situation, and Chuck didn't know which one to bet on. "I'll do that, Blair."

When she had stalked away, her hips swaying, Chuck tried his best not to give her the once-over. But when she was behind Nate, she looked back at Chuck and flashed him a warning look, her hand cutting across her neck.

This would be so much easier if he knew what the hell was going on, but he had been involved in enough covert ops with Blair to know that whatever it was, that Nathaniel was not to get involved. Fueled with at least this piece of information, Chuck listened to Nate as his voice dropped so only they could hear.

"Look, man, I was going to ask you before...the Baizen situation…"

"Nathaniel," Chuck began, despite the fact that Carter's name had jolted him. Piecing together Nate's secretiveness and Blair's warning signals (and knowing his habitual omniscience of the going-ons of the UES) he _did_ know about Carter Baizen…and he and Blair were attempting to take care of it. "I can't—"

"Look, I know what you're going to say!" Nate snapped, suddenly impatient. "And it's _not _because I'm still carrying some torch for her! But you _know_ what that asshole does to Serena and you've been itching to get at him ever since he used Blair to get close to you—"

Chuck decided to keep his surprise over Nate openly admitting his feelings for Serena to himself. This was a world turned upside-down. "That's not the—" Chuck stopped short, unable to help himself. "What? When was this?" Despite the fact that he had never been _with_ Blair, the thought of Carter using her still made him furious. Chuck Bass protected his friends, and Blair may put up a front, but he knew how vulnerable she was underneath it all, and that's why she was such a fighter.

Nate looked only a little confused, but he wasn't terribly intelligent and would answer the question anyway. "You know, man! I think it was our senior year...or our first year of college." Nate paused, struggling to remember. Chuck couldn't believe that his intimate relationship with Blair had gone on that early. He was almost afraid to ask what had happened. Every time Nate said Blair's name, it was giving him a weird pang in his chest. How had the roles become so different? "When she thought she wouldn't get accepted at Yale and you were busy trying to get that new teacher to make a retraction…"

"Yeah, I get the picture," Chuck interrupted, knowing that this would make relatively no sense to him. "And while I would immensely enjoy destroying Carter under _any_ circumstances, this does not concern you."

"When it concerns Blair or you or Serena, it does concern me," Nate said firmly.

Chuck was beginning to think that the other Chuck and Blair had possibly _allowed_ Nate to get involved with their schemes. Otherwise, Nate couldn't have been so trigger-happy. But what could have possessed them to do such a thing? The Nate of any world was better off completely oblivious, and this was just a liability...

"You know that we appreciate that, Nate, and that those sentiments are returned, but this is what Blair and I _do_," he assuaged. "We have you for other things..."

Nate's brow furrowed, like he was pondering what those things may be and Chuck continued. "Carter won't get away with doing anything to Serena. Do you really think Blair would let that go?"

Nate still only looked half-convinced, but nodded his head. "If things get out of control, you need to tell me. I'm not kidding, Chuck. I'd want to know."

"I won't leave you in the dark if you're needed," Chuck promised. Then he slapped him on the back. "But I think we can call it a night. I'll see you later, my man."

"Say goodnight to Blair for me...and apologize for my getting rid of her. I just wasn't sure how much you'd tell me if she was around."

"No problem," Chuck called as he walked off, unable to believe that he had just had a full-on conversation with someone without being too suspicious and found Blair, having a quiet discussion with Serena, their heads bent together. He was just able to make out what they were saying.

"...and what about Humphrey, S? I might understand if it were somebody else, but as much as he is dazzled by your golden presence, he's not—"

"B, I _promise_ it's nothing! But Carter, I can't just…I can't forget…he's helped me before and I owe him this."

"You don't owe him anything," Blair sneered. "And you can't pretend that this isn't the same old thing. What you believe and what's occurring are two completely different things."

"That's not fair…" Serena shot back, sounding hurt. "I never asked you to…I always tell you to just let it go, and you can't!"

"I'm worried about you!" Blair said in a high-pitched voice, and Chuck knew that everything was implied in those words. Blair could never let Serena just _be_ her own worst enemy. She had to step in and fix it for her, even when she couldn't.

They were silent for a moment, and then Serena made a small noise and gestured to Blair, putting her hand on her best friend's arm. But Blair shook her head. "I'm only going to say this once, S. Then I'm not coming to you again. This is Carter. And I don't care what you think about him; the truth is that he can't be trusted. And you have a husband."

Serena couldn't let those ominous words go without protest. "I never forget that," she swore. But even after that, Serena knew _why_ Blair said these things, and it made all the difference. She embraced Blair, kissing her on the cheek. "Good night, B."

Once Serena had passed through the doors, Chuck approached Blair, a smirk on his face. "Does that mean you'll leave her to her own devices?"

"Of course not," Blair spat, still looking out at the darkness Serena disappeared into. "She doesn't know what she's doing."

"Does she ever?" Chuck was pretty sure that would remain a constant with Serena, no matter how many years had passed.

Blair finally turned to him, frowning. "I'm surprised; you don't seem as worried about it as you were before. What did you say to Nate?"

"I was worried?"

"Well, more like seething with rage and looking for blood…but I didn't want to be so specific."

Chuck smiled and gestured out the door. "Shall we?" She gave him a smile that was very sweet and very adorable, or so he thought, and took his hand.

"Now, what new information have you retrieved?" Chuck asked her as they slid into the limo and Blair smiled like the cat that ate the canary. "I'll tell you under the stipulation that our arrangement stands."

"And what arrangement would that be?" Chuck said, playing dumb (and actually being dumb, but no one could fault him for that).

"You let me deal with the plans for Carter."

"So I get none of the fun?"Chuck shook his head. "If I really agreed to this, I'm officially reneging."

"Absolutely not. As much as I loathe Carter Baizen, I am not going to help you put him six-feet under."

"Relax, kitten," the endearment slipping off his tongue before he could think about it. "I won't kill him, but you aren't going to do this by yourself." Other Chuck might have murdered Carter, but Chuck didn't quite hate him _that_ much yet. Perhaps, if he knew the extent of it...

"I don't want to talk about this tonight, really…" Blair said, resting her head on Chuck's shoulder, causing him to jump a little. He had never cuddled with a woman before, and he had forgotten that being married to someone usually required that kind of contact, if it was a good marriage. And from the way these 8 hours had gone, he could tell that Blair was definitely not the embittered, long-suffering wife. And it was sort of nice...her head there, the smell of her hair.

He needed to stop this.

Soon, he would have to leave and this wouldn't be anything more than a memory he would rather forget. That last thing he wanted was to develop _attachments_.

"All you need to know tonight, is that we have one week to make plans."

"One week," Chuck repeated, finally relaxing his body to her, wondering if he'd still be here in that time.

A/N: Carter is coming to town! I didn't really want to end here, but it was a natural break and I literally couldn't afford to postpone my school work any longer. I included the Carter-Blair stuff in 2x19 with her moving into the downward spiral, and instead of Chuck just getting off that ridiculous Elle storyline, he would have been taking on a more supportive role and been helping Blair with that stupid teacher before her breakdown. Since his father didn't die, there can't really be a secret society, now can there? Anyway, reviews are great and keep it coming faster, trust me!


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Don't own.

A/N: Again, putting off homework! This time, you guys might not get your chapter right away because I'll be fairly behind after this (as in three portfolios for my writing classes and two final exams!). But I hope this doesn't disappoint! Please tell me what you think, because it will make me happy while I'm trying desperately to catch up with all of my work! :)

It was past midnight by the time Chuck and Blair walked into the penthouse. A maid approached as they shed their coats and took them to put away.

"Is Liliana asleep?" Blair asked her.

"Yes, ma'am. Not without a little fuss, but she tired out eventually…" Chuck was surprised at the maid's frankness with Blair. He had expected her to lie and say that the little girl was an absolute angel; maybe the woman was new…

Blair raised her eyebrows. "Nothing that you couldn't handle, I'm sure," she said, the warning implicit in her tone.

Fortunately, the maid was smart enough to pick up on the tone and shook her head furiously. "Oh, no, ma'am! It was just fine!"

Chuck shook his head a little, but after staring at the woman for a short moment, Blair gave her a tight nod, her eyes cold. "You can go."

Chuck watched as the maid scurried off and chuckled. "Down, girl…"

Blair rolled her eyes. "Honestly." Then, in one fluid motion, she reached over and took his hand, beginning to ascend the stairs. Chuck hesitated.

"…where are we going?"

His "wife's" head whipped back around at him, a look of immense confusion on her face. "Shall I let you ruminate on that?"

Chuck had no idea where she wanted him to go. The master suite was on the first floor, and he wasn't even sure what was upstairs, except maybe Dorota. When he didn't answer her, Blair frowned.

"I want to check on Lili...you're usually the one insisting upon that. _Now_ you suddenly don't care?"

"But—but she's asleep!" he stuttered without thinking as Blair towed him up the stairs.

Again, Blair didn't answer him. But Chuck knew that she didn't ever deem stupid questions worthy of an answer. He just didn't see the stupidity in it.

They walked down the long hallway, and Chuck could see Blair's decorative fingertips all over it. The paneling, the colors…it's a good thing that she actually had taste. He wondered how long they (as in, other Chuck and Blair) had lived there and how long they had been married. He wasn't sure why he cared, because it really served no purpose, but he just wanted to know.

Blair stopped at a door towards the end of the hallway, moving slower now so she wouldn't make too much noise. Chuck followed closely behind.

Liliana was sprawled out on her side in a bed that was too big for her. Dark curls splashed across her pillow and she was clutching a stuffed animal in her arms. Even from the door, they could see the rise and fall of her chest, slow and deep . There was a contented smile on her little face and even Chuck was taken aback at just how adorable she looked. He was frozen at the entrance of her room, but Blair approached the child's bed silently, not even noticing that Chuck hadn't moved.

He could only stare as she bent over Liliana, pausing for a moment to stare at her. Blair's hand brushed her hair softly and then she leaned down, pressing a kiss to her daughter's temple. Chuck had never seen Blair do anything so tenderly in his life, he couldn't believe he was really watching the same girl that humiliated her best friend at a college mixer by telling everyone she was a graduate of the Ostroff Center.

"Chuck?" Blair was looking at him expectantly, but when he didn't move, she motioned for him to come over.

He didn't see any way to refuse, so he walked towards Blair and the sleeping girl, leaning over her awkwardly because he knew that was what Blair wanted him to do. It was weird, he felt kind of like a pedophile, standing over the kid like this.

"Hurry up, or she'll wake!" Blair hissed from his side. She scared him into making a movement, so he quickly leaned down and kissed her on the forehead, his movements so jerky that she stirred in the bed. They both held their breath and waited, hoping that she wouldn't wake up, but for vastly different reasons. When she merely shifted slightly, they relaxed and left the room, Chuck feeling like a humongous moron.

Blair waited until the door clicked shut to turn on him. "Did you get a lobotomy tonight while my back was turned?"

"What are you talking about?"

"That! In there! That was literally the strangest thing I've ever seen!" Blair cried as they moved further away from the room. "You've never acted like that before!"

"Like what?"

"Don't play with me, you know exactly what I mean…ever since before we left tonight, you've been acting weird, especially with her!" She paused and her next words made him realize that her insistence that they check on Liliana had been a challenge of sorts…to see what he would do. "You _always_ want to check on her. And the questions...the disappearance to 'the bathroom'... What's going on, Chuck?"

He felt his heart pounding, and it made him think of how absurd it was that she would figure out his secret. She would never guess, even if he told her outright, she wouldn't believe something like that. Blair was only delusional when it came to fairytales, and this...this was a nightmare. She would never believe him.

"Nothing's going on, Blair. I just have a headache." Funny enough, he wasn't lying. It may have been the panic of her discovering him, but there was now a throbbing in his head. He just wanted all of this to stop. "Just relax."

"Relax? You're lying to me! You should have seen yourself! It was like…I don't know, like you didn't know what to _do_ with her!"

"Because I don't!" Chuck yelled back, unable to help himself. It was the most irritating part of this whole thing thus far. He was expected to know how to take care of a _child_! Of all the things he could have been landed with, it had to be that. The only thing he could possibly do for little Liliana would be to corrupt her beyond all recognition.

They just stood there, face to face, breathing. The silence was deafening and all Chuck could think of was how badly he wanted to get out of there before she put all of the pieces together. Blair blinked at him, then crossed her arms with dead seriousness. "I want to know what's going on. And I want to know now."

"It's a headache," Chuck said firmly. "Can't you just let it go? Everything will be fine in the morning."

Blair shook her head. "That's exactly what people say when it _isn't_ going to be fine in the morning. God, Chuck! I'm not the same girl you knew in high school! I don't have these fantasies about life or this ability to shut the world out anymore, just because I don't like what's happening in it! Neither of us have the luxury of pretending...there's a child in there that can't afford for us to do that."

And this is why Chuck hated marriage and children and the whole damn package! He wasn't _ready_ to make those sacrifices. He'd never be ready for that, because he was an innately selfish person. He didn't care enough about anything else to change himself. And now, here he was, expected to be something that he wasn't.

And the most frustrating part was that there was no one to tell and no way to get out of it, except find his way back to his own time...and who knew if and when that would ever happen. "Blair, I swear to you that it's only a headache. Believe what you want, but you'll keep digging and nagging and you won't find anything. I'm not hiding something from you. I wouldn't do that." At least, her husband probably wouldn't have. That was what was important.

Now that the shock of it all was wearing off, he could see that this would be very hard. By the end of it, Blair would hate him and the kid would be irrevocably screwed up. He needed to get out of here fast, before that was exactly what he accomplished.

"I'm going to bed," Blair said. He could tell that she was angry with him and it was unspoken that she didn't want him following her, but that was just as well. He had a few things to do before he could get sleep.

"Fine," he said quietly. She descended the stairs and when he could no longer hear her, he turned back to the dark hall and walked down it, randomly opening doors until he stumbled upon what looked like an office.

He could tell it was his just by the colors and the positioning of the furniture. He turned the light on and looked around...he needed to find a safe. There had to be one in here.

Behind a picture…and there it was. Now he needed the combination. Dread welled up in his stomach when it dawned on him that he didn't know what the combination was. Hopefully, something that had been of value of to him ten years ago or he was officially fucked.

After a few minutes of fruitless number combinations, Chuck cursed loudly. He couldn't figure out what it could be and the stupid thing most likely held the answers to everything he would need to survive this place until he could figure out a way to get out.

He had to consider what would be important to _other_ Chuck. Of course, only two things were coming to mind for him: Blair and Liliana. Blair's birthday was a no-go. He didn't know what the kid's was, and he doubted that Blair was in the mood to tell him. There was only one other option, and it was a stretch, at best—Mike.

Chuck fished in his pocket for the cell phone that he hadn't touched yet and scrolled through the contacts. A small glimmer of relief coursed through him when he saw that most of the numbers were ones that he recognized. He would need to look through the texts later and see if that would be of any use to him.

Mike—there it was. He couldn't remember a time when he was happier to see that name flashing across the screen. Not taking heed of the time of night, Chuck pressed "call" and waited for the answer. A drowsy, disgruntled murmur came across the line after about four rings. "Yeah?"

"Mike, it's Chuck Bass."

"I know, boss. What's up? It's late."

"I need copies of every intelligence report you given me in the past ten years," Chuck said lightly, like it was any small favor. A small gasp over the line assured Chuck that Mike was now fully awake. "I assume you've kept copies?"

"Well, yeah, but they're where you told me to put them. I mean…God, boss, that could take—"

"I need them by yesterday. Especially the ones concerning my relationship with Blair, all of them. And no, this is not a joke. If this information isn't delivered to me within the next two days, you can consider yourself fired." Chuck didn't even bother to listen to his PI's protest over the line, but slammed his phone shut, taking a deep breath. He didn't know how much longer he could go without this stuff. Chuck walked to the desk and slumped in the chair, feeling the effects of the day. He was exhausted, and his mind felt like it was running in a thousand different directions. There was only so much longer that he could keep this up.

"Are you sleeping?"

The inquisitive, child-like voice made him sit bolt upright and look over at the door. There, standing maybe at two and a half feet tall, was Daddy's little girl, holding her stuffed animal tightly in one arm. She appeared surprisingly alert for the hour of night, and she was favoring him with the same piercing stare that her mother gave him, the one that made him feel like she could see right through him.

"No," he responded defensively. "Aren't little girls supposed to be safe in their beds this late at night?"

Liliana shrugged carelessly at him and the gesture made the laughter bubble up in his throat. She was a cheeky little thing, for sure. He stood up and walked over to her, bending down so he would be at her level. He would have to try and be gentle…but he figured it wouldn't be that hard. She looked very cute with her hair in disarray that would probably send Blair through the roof, and her eyes so big and brown, blinking up at him. If her pink nightgown was any indication, she had her mother's ambitions to be a princess.

"You're not tired?"

She shook her head, still staring at him. "You and Mommy were fighting," she said ruefully. Great, he was already fucking the kid up and it had been about ten hours.

"No, you were dreaming that..." he lied. It seemed the suitable thing to do, parents _always _lied and he didn't want her to think that he had upset Blair. "Your Mommy and I weren't fighting."

Now she was surveying him doubtfully and he knew he had said the wrong thing. "Daddy promised he would never tell me lies. You're not Daddy."

She was the first person to make that pronouncement and all of Chuck's feelings about it—the feeling that he was a fraud—became validated in this child. He wasn't going to lie to her again. He silently looked her over, pulling the stuffed animal she was clutching out of her armpit and looking at it closely. He smirked.

"A Rottweiler, huh? You don't play games, do you, princess?"

At the endearment Liliana perked up again, seeming to hold out hope that he might still be her father. "Mikey protects me. He's my favorite 'cause he keeps away all the bad things…" she was observing him again. "Are you really Daddy?"

He paused for a moment. "Do I look like your Daddy?"

"Yes."

She was waiting for him to give her a straight answer, he could tell. She wouldn't be redirected. It made him oddly proud to see this natural intelligence shine out of her, and he supposed that, in a way, he _was_ her father...some form of him, anyway. It struck him that if he and Blair had a baby, that _this_ is what she might look like. There was a warmth that came with that thought, despite the sheer reluctance to be thrown into this role. But he didn't have a choice. He was the only father she had for the moment.

"I am if you'll still have me." She was three years old, and easy to please. She was innocent, and he kind of liked that. It was nice to see something so untainted...he never really interacted with kids.

"I 'spose so," she said, giving him a smirk. He straightened up again, knowing that he had put the child off for now...and he couldn't help but notice...that smirk was definitely _his_. When he stood, she frowned at him and reached her arms up. "Put me to bed now." The command was said more imperiously than any tiny girl should be able to muster, but he found himself amused. He bent and picked her up, stuffed Rottweiler and all. He took a moment to marvel at how light she was in his arms and then shifted to his side.

He almost cringed when she instinctively buried her face in his neck, not used to the feeling of something so small and alive _clinging _to him like that. Her breath was hot against his collar and he carried her to her room, after momentary confusion in which he had to remember where her room actually was. Luckily, the child wasn't paying attention to his lack of direction.

He gently put her down on the bed and as he pulled the covers over her, she opened her eyes and watched as he did so. He was finding that he kind of liked her a lot more now that she wasn't throwing a tantrum. "All set?"

"Uh-huh. Will you stay 'til I fall asleep?"

There was the panic again. There was something so fatherly about what she was asking him to do that he couldn't say 'yes' to it. "You'll be fine," he assured her, nudging her stuffed dog. "You've got Mikey here."

She pouted a little at that, but then turned on her side and began to close her eyes like she had already forgotten about her request. But he couldn't leave without asking one more thing. "Hey, Lili?"

"What?" she yawned.

"Do you remember how Mikey got his name?"

"Uh-huh. You named 'im." Her eyes were beginning to droop more and her words were coming out slower. "Mommy didn't like it 'cause she said you named him after your 'instigator..."

Chuck had to suppress his laughter as she fell asleep. He resisted the urge to pat her head and left the room as quietly as he could. He had to admit, that _if_ he ever got himself saddled with a daughter, she would be the best-case scenario. Too bad there was so much Blair in her. It definitely diluted his chances of having a kid exactly like Liliana if he got that unlucky and some woman ended up pregnant by him.

These thoughts were stupid, he reminded himself. He was sixteen and wouldn't have to worry about that. He was _sixteen_. What a fucked-up situation this was! But now his head hurt and drowsiness was overtaking him. Sleep would be a welcome reprieve from all of this, and if he was lucky, he would wake up and it would all have been a bad dream. He needed somewhere to lie down.

He was nervous about going downstairs with Blair, but what else was he supposed to do? Maybe other Chuck was pussy-whipped enough to sleep on the couch, but he was the real Chuck Bass and that was not debatable. Chuck Bass would never get kicked out of his own bedroom!

With new purpose, he climbed down the stairs and found his way back to the master suite. It was dark, but he could make out Blair's form in the bed, sleeping on her back. Not wanting to wake her and have another fight in which she would have cause for suspicion, he navigated his undressing process in the dark and managed to find pajamas after about ten minutes of confusion and a foray into Blair's panty drawer (he closed it shut before he got too hard, knowing that the chances of him getting any tonight were slim to none). At least he still only slept in the finest silk…

He crept stealthily into one side of the bed, feeling very bizarre indeed. Blair must have really been sleeping, because she didn't acknowledge the movement and remained still, her head tilted a little towards his side of the bed. He had to smile at the way from this vantage point, she looked so much like Liliana asleep. For once, he let all of the questions and concerns leave his head as he just relaxed and tried to go to sleep, his arms up and behind his head. It didn't take long before he had drifted off too, not even considering how much he had to worry about come tomorrow.

A/N: I hope you guys liked Liliana/Chuck...I'm sure I've disappointed A LOT of you who really wanted a sex scene…but I couldn't make it that easy! We all saw how fast Chuck fell after he slept with her in Victor/Victrola. We've already seen the beginnings of his fascination with her, and I'm waiting to put it full circle. All I can say, is that you won't have to wait much longer for it...but expect lots of complication in the coming chapters and don't expect Chuck not to fight it every step of the way. After all, it's what C/B lives for! So please review! It makes me very very happy!


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: Don't own.

A/N: Okay, well finals are officially done! And I couldn't be more ecstatic! But anyway, I wrote this as quickly as possible. It's mostly a filler chapter, but things will get more exciting in the one after this, I promise. We explore Chuck and Blair's relationship a little more in the next one ;). And thank you to everyone who reviewed and I hope that you keep giving me feedback, it really helps!

The first thing that Chuck was aware of the next morning was the smell of strawberries…vanilla and strawberries. It was definitely the smell of shampoo, but he couldn't quite place it. He felt like he was waking from a deep sleep and he really didn't want to open his eyes.

He was dimly aware that there was a warm body draped across him, an arm carelessly thrown across his waist. He was too groggy to wonder who it might be or where he had been the following night. He just wanted to lay there for a while…who cares if some girl had actually dared to stay the night and snuggle? For some reason, he wasn't nearly as bothered by it as he would have usually been. It felt a little more comfortable than before, when some whore would mistakenly think that intimacy was okay after a good fuck.

He laid there for another few minutes, listening to the easy breaths of the girl laying on him. He couldn't figure out why he didn't mind her all over him. And he could kind of remember a dream he had, a bizarre dream, but the people and sounds were all running together. He could remember feeling things: a small body pressed up against him and lips crashing down on his.

Then, an alarm clock began beeping, loud and incessantly. He groaned, not knowing when or why he would have set an alarm, and his hand shot out to the side, feeling desperately for the source of the disturbance. Something hard and metal greeted his palm after a moment and he slammed down on it until it was silent. The girl who smelled like strawberries wasn't even moving.

He had to open his eyes. There was obviously some place he had to be or he wouldn't have set up that obnoxious device. He had to figure out who this needy chick was. He had to open his eyes.

This would not be pleasant. It was too early in the morning to be fighting with some whore. The first sight that greeted his eyes was brown curls splayed against his chest and a pale arm sprawled across his midsection. He looked up further…and saw the sleeping face. That unmistakable face.

"Oh shit!" Reactively, he leapt from the bed, not taking care or notice to jolting Blair Waldorf awake.

Chuck backed away quickly, until his back hit the wall and he watched her sit up on the bed and look at him with a bewildered expression. But even with the shock of finding himself in bed with _Blair_, he couldn't figure out what was going on. There was something he was supposed to know, something he was supposed to piece together.

And then he did.

It all came back in one, horrible rush and Chuck had to suppress a groan of despair. Sleep had done no good and it wasn't a dream and he was stuck here for the duration…or at least until he could find some way to get out on his own. Waking up certainly did nothing for him.

Blair was watching him as she sat with her feet tucked under her and a bed sheet bunched around her thighs. And Chuck couldn't help favoring her with a small smile at this, because she looked more like the sixteen-year old girl he had known than she had ever looked before.

And then she completed the transformation by giving him one of her coldest, Queen B-glares. "What _on earth_ are you doing now?" Despite the frigid stare, he could hear the grogginess in her voice. But he was pretty sure that even a little morning disillusionment would not dull her incredibly perceptive senses. Not that it mattered, anyway.

At the rate he was fumbling around and making mistakes, he might as well dig his own grave. Chuck had always prided himself on his deceptive skills, and this was simply becoming mortifying, and it was definitely doing no good for his self-esteem. If he couldn't trick Blair, he was doomed before he started.

He mentally ran through the events of last night and found what he was looking for. "I…thought you were mad at me…and I didn't think that you wanted me…touching you…" he said slowly, cringing as the words left his mouth. He gestured hopelessly to the bed and swallowed as the strap of her negligee fell below her shoulder and she forcefully pushed it back up.

But she didn't answer him, and so he had to smirk. "I guess we're just magnetic, huh, Blair?"

Her dark eyes bore in to his, and her mouth took on a wry set. "This is why you sleep on the couch, Bass. And I suggest you bring the smugness down to a minimum or you'll be a eunuch for the forseeable future."

Chuck nodded, fully willing to engage with her. He began to take off his pajamas and change into something for the day. "Of course, that explains why I woke up to your lovely little self hanging all over me…"

"Not intentionally!" she snapped. A flush was growing in her cheeks and he found that he liked it just as much as he did on younger Blair. But there was also something different about this banter…and he couldn't be sure if it all had to do with their half-clothed state or not.

He could feel a heat growing inside him; something that he would usually feel right before the fuck, when the foreplay was beginning to get intense. But there was another difference as well: it was also a chilling feeling. Like white fire—almost so hot that it burned cold. Unfortunately, he didn't get to explore much more of this sensation before an insistent knock was heard on the door.

"Can I come in, please?" A small, tinkling voice called from the other side.

It was the kid _again_. Liliana. Chuck kept forgetting about her, which wasn't a good thing at all if he was going to keep this realistic. He looked over at his "wife" for confirmation to let the kid in, but Blair only shook her head. "Put pants on, Chuck," she said in an exasperated voice.

He looked down at himself and realized that he was now only standing in boxers. Quickly, he went to search through his drawers to find a pair of pants… until he became aware that Blair was watching him carefully. If he looked like he was having difficulty finding where he kept his pants, she would really start freaking out on him…in that way that only Blair could freak out on a person. He would have to distract her.

He turned to the brunette beauty, giving her a blatant once-over. "You could use some clothing as well, Princess…not for my sake of course, but for the impressionable little girl outside the door." To be honest, he was a little surprised that Blair was intent on maintaining some sense of decorum with the child, especially when she hadn't seemed to be able to keep her hands off of him. Well, when she wasn't angry with him, at least.

Though she huffed at him, Blair obediently threw off the blankets that half-covered her and strode to her closet (yes, they had two different closets…not that he was surprised). That at least gave him a few spare moments to root through the dresser to find a pair of pants.

Once they were both fairly decent, Blair let Liliana into the room. She ran past her mother, only giving Blair time to affectionately run a hand through the little girl's neatly combed curls, and bounced over to where Chuck was standing.

She was smiling up at him and Chuck had to smirk a little at her attire. She was clad in a dark green dress with matching headband and shoes, looking as perfect as any of Blair's dream daughters would have. "When are we going to work?" she said, jumping up and down a little in place. "Dorota let me wear my favorite headband for work, Daddy!"

Work. Chuck only stared at her, not knowing what the fuck she was talking about. Surely she wasn't serious? Even the granddaughter of Bart Bass wouldn't be expected to start her career so early in life…and there was no way that Bart allowed children in the office. No. Way.

He knelt down to her level and she happily placed her hands in his. "You're going to work, huh?"

Blair finally spoke, having been observing them with her hands on her hips. "Chuck, we discussed this _days_ ago! Nobody can take her today, so she has to spend the morning with you. I'll pick her up at two, after my meetings. I already talked to Bart about it."

Liliana looked back at her mother and smiled. "And I get to model for Grandma, yes?"

"Maybe a little, baby…but Grandma will probably be designing most of the day. And it's only a small visit."

"Are we going to your lawyer-office?" she asked with a trace of disappointment in her tone. It was obvious that Liliana wasn't a fan of her mother's line of work. "There's nothing to do there! Daddy and Grandpa let me do stuff at their work!"

"Yes, well Daddy and Grandpa are at the top of the food chain at their work and can get away with a great many things that Mommy can't." Blair said, giving the little girl a tight smile. "Remember what Mommy said about actually working for her place in life?"

Liliana nodded, but still looked crestfallen. "When will you be at the top, then?"

"Once I lull the right people into a false sense of security."

So Blair was a lawyer. Chuck could picture that…she certainly had the right skills—intelligence, a manipulative nature, ruthless cunning, and fierce determination. But what had really interested him was the way that Blair implied that Liliana was able to run amok at Bass Industries. He didn't see how Bart would stand for that. Or that he himself would be inclined in any way to plead the child's case.

Bass men must have been rather soft in this reality…how lame of them.

"So, Daddy, when are we going?" The question brought him back to the child in front of him, who was now swinging his hands back and forth. He had to force himself to allow her to continue with the motion.

"Once Daddy figures out what the hell is going on…"

"Chuck, language!" Blair cried.

Chuck sighed, this was really going to suck.

#########################################################

When the limo halted in front of Blair's office and she slipped out, Chuck still had no idea what she was thinking. When they were in front of Liliana, she was inscrutable at best and seemed unwilling to discuss their issues in her earshot. But he was pretty sure that she was still not too happy with him since she bid her daughter good-bye and didn't say a word to him. Liliana, also, picked up on the snub.

"Is Mommy mad at you? Are you still fighting?"

Chuck rubbed the back of his head, not knowing how to answer that. The kid was pretty good at stumping him and it was getting really unnerving.

"No…no, it's just…unresolved sexual frustration," he said saying the first words that popped into his head and in a rush so she wouldn't understand what he was saying. "I'll explain when you're older."

Somebody would have to explain when she was older.

Lili frowned, her little brown creasing the way Blair's would when she was taking notes in class…Shit, he needed to stop noticing these things about Blair! "Could you repeat that please?" she asked politely and Chuck repressed the curse about to burst from his mouth. This was the last thing he needed—an overly curious munchkin who was going to spend the entire morning with him. He already had to find his ticket out of here, metaphorically speaking, and settle this Carter business, or whatever. And if he returned to his own damn time before that happened, he could at least assist the Older Chuck the best way he could. Loathing Carter Baizen was something that all Chuck Basses everywhere would have in common.

He realized Liliana was still waiting for an answer and he rolled his eyes. "I'd repeat it for you if I thought that you'd understand…but it's something that you'll run into when you're older, if you're anything like your mother. Trust me."

"I don't like when you fight. Can't you just give her what she wants?" Her brown eyes were large with entrancing naivety. "Buy her a necklace!"

Chuck grimaced. "I don't think she wants a necklace, kid." He wished that she would stop talking; she was giving him another headache. He was getting a lot of those…ever since this all started.

"Why do you call me 'kid'?" she was glaring at him. "Daddy never calls me 'kid'. He says I'm his princess."

He glanced sideways at her, smiling. "You are a princess," he told her kindly. He really thought that she was a princess…any child of Blair Waldorf and Chuck Bass would have to be. It would be great if she were a mute princess, though. One that wasn't quite so intelligent.

She smiled back at him and then her eyes brightened as she looked out the window. "We're here!"

He was relieved as well. If they were in the office, she wouldn't have nearly as much opportunity to ask him questions. Arthur (he was quite pleased that Arthur was still working for him) opened the door and Chuck stepped out, waiting for the kid so they could cross the street.

But when he began crossing, the little girl didn't move with him. He looked down at her, his eyes questioning.

"You have to hold my hand!" she declared, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "I can't cross the street by myself!"

Right. He forgot that kids tended to do moronic things in heavy traffic, like running without looking and stopping in the middle of the road. Part of him now wished that he had had a younger sibling before, so he would have some idea of how to be a parent. At this rate, he would be surprised if she lasted the morning.

"Sorry," he said, taking her little hand in his. "You ready?"

"Yes," she said haughtily. "Are _you_ ready, Daddy?"

It had taken less than twenty-four hours for his "daughter" to decide he was a complete idiot. And he wasn't even really convinced that she thought he was her father. As much as his answer had sufficed for her last night, he was definitely losing points fast.

"You know what?" he said, shaking his head at her. "Let's do this the quick way."

"What's the—" she began to ask, but he cut off her words as he swooped her up and into his arms and she clasped her arms around his neck with a delighted giggle.

This had to be more father-like. She was leaning her head on his shoulder, much like she had done when he carried her to bed. He was sort of fond of her baby-smell, that gentle scent that little kids had when they were clean. He liked the trust she bestowed on him when he held her; he had almost immediately noticed how completely at ease she was in his arms, like she _knew _that he would protect her. It was almost as nice as it was terrifying.

He carried her into the building and easily figured where his office would be—somewhere very close to his father's. He took the elevator to the top floor, holding Liliana's hand on the way up. He probably didn't need to anymore, but she wasn't objecting, so he decided that he would keep holding on until _she_ released his hand.

He didn't have to wait too long; she dropped his hand as soon as the elevator doors opened and ran over to the secretary's desk. "Hi, Linda!" she said cheerily, looking up at the older woman. Chuck was a bit peeved that he had a wizened secretary instead of the hot one that so often resided in his fantasies. It was probably Blair's doing, he thought, slightly disgruntled but also a touch amused.

"Hello, Lili!" Linda responded with a genuine smile. "I have these markers in my desk waiting for you so you can color in Daddy's office."

Chuck could see that the offer was a tantalizing one, just from the way that Liliana's smile widened and she bounced on her feet with fidgety excitement. "Okay, but I want to say hi to Grandpa first!"

She began down the hall and Chuck could tell that she knew exactly where she was going. But he couldn't let her do it. He knew Bart wasn't crazy about interruptions, especially ones that were filled to the brim with intrusive and annoying questions. "Hey, Lili! Where are you going?" he called to halt her progress.

She pointed down the hallway to the door on the end. "To Grandpa's office…" she said lightly as Chuck approached her.

"Grandpa might be busy," he told her softly, knowing that when he was a kid that those were words that he heard often, but never failed to instill disappointment. It was clear that he had never been a priority with his father.

But Bart saved him the rest of the speech when the door opened and he came out of his office, looking stern as ever. That is, until he saw his granddaughter.

Bart Bass actually cracked a smile. It was a tiny one, but to Chuck, he might as well have been giggling and painting his toenails. Even that small upward turn of the lips from last night was surprising, but this…this wasn't possible.

"Dad?" Chuck heard himself say softly as Liliana skipped over to where his father was standing.

"What do we have here?" Bart said as the child stopped in front of him.

"Good morning, Grandpa! Did you like your party last night? Mommy said that I couldn't go, even though it was your party and you would 'vite me to your party 'cause it was a grown-up party. But I hope it was still nice! Did you get a' award?"

Bart patted her hair softly, and though he didn't embrace her the way most grandfathers would, Chuck had never seen him behave so tenderly. "I did get an award. I'll show it to you later. And your Mommy was right, it was a grown-up party. Otherwise you most certainly would have been there." He took her hand and she led him over to his son, who was still frozen in shock. "We can't have you up past your bedtime, can we?"

The little girl shook her dark little head, but then chewed on her lower lip, thinking. "But I didn't go to bed at bedtime 'cause Mommy and Daddy woke me up when they were fighting…"

"Liliana," Chuck muttered, thinking of a gentle way to shut her the hell up. The last thing he needed was Bart knowing anything about his marital problems, whether he was the right Chuck or not.

But Liliana continued without heed to his warning tone. "…and then this morning Mommy was still mad, kinda…but Daddy told me it was from…" she paused and her little brow furrowed as she tried to think of the words. "…unreesolled sexual fustration. What's that, Grandpa?"

From the way Bart was looking at him, he was pretty sure that he wasn't very approving of Chuck's choice of excuses. "Lili, why don't you go back to Linda and get those markers that she keeps for you."

Liliana looked a little put-out by the suggestion and Chuck could see that she knew that her grandfather was trying to get rid of her. But she still acquiesced, and traipsed back down the hall to Chuck's secretary.

Bart looked back up at Chuck. "Not the best thing to tell your kid, Chuck…unresolved sexual frustration?"

"I didn't think she'd repeat it!" Chuck shot back, feeling a little more fearless with this version of Bart. He wasn't as quite as cold as the Bart that Chuck knew, or so it seemed.

"You know kids repeat everything. Especially that one," Bart said emphatically. "And worse, she'll probably ask until she gets the answer she's looking for."

"Well then let's hope she gets a satisfactory answer before her mother picks her up…" Chuck muttered.

"You and Blair are fighting?"

"No…not really…" Chuck looked at his father, surprised that he cared at all. "Does it matter?"

"It matters if it's going to distract you from your work."

Chuck couldn't believe that he was _happy_ to hear something so insensitive come out of Bart's mouth. It proved that there was still enough heartless bastard to go around, and that perhaps things weren't _so _out of whack.

"Thank you for your concern…but I think I can handle my wife." Chuck answered. He still felt uncomfortable with other Chuck's life; it was like playing a role that didn't completely fit him.

"That's what you told me before we closed the MacIntyre deal," Bart said pointedly.

Again, Chuck knew that was supposed to mean something, but he didn't know what. But he would definitely love to hear the story sometime. "It's not the same thing, believe me it's not, Dad."

"I'll take your word for it as long as your work doesn't suffer." Chuck felt brief relief at the words until Bart narrowed his eyes. "But I'm surprised…about what you said to Lili. You're usually much more careful with her. Is there something else going on?"

"Nothing's going on, Dad. I can handle the kid. I mean, if _you_ can survive parenting, I'm pretty sure that most people can be quite sufficient at it." Chuck hadn't meant to say that, but he was certain that if another accusation was thrown his way, that his head would explode. And it particularly stung that Bart felt the need to lecture him on child-rearing. Even if he had done a horrendous job thus far, Other Chuck had been a competent family man. Plus, he hadn't even signed up for this stupid excursion to Hell!

Bart's mouth was set in a thin line, but Chuck didn't want to give him the chance to say anything. "Look, Dad, I'm going to…start working. I'll see you later."

He turned and stalked back the way he came, wondering…if Bart was actually kind to his granddaughter, then there was a chance that in this universe…that he could have been some kind of father to Chuck. He didn't know why Bart's words about Liliana affected him so strongly, but he hadn't been around this Bart long enough to know if Other Chuck was carrying the same fucked-up emotional baggage that he was. Unfortunately, he had a lot more to worry about than whether he offended Bart sensibilities.

Liliana was gathering marker's from Linda's desk with the help of the secretary, who was also pulling out a few sheets of computer paper. "I have some nice, white paper here for you. And look, your Daddy is back, so why don't you go with him and color by his desk, hmm?"

"I'll try," Liliana replied as she moved towards Chuck's office with him, her arms full of markers and paper. "Daddy, do I have to be quiet this time?"

"I'm not sure yet." The question caused Chuck to remember the fact that he didn't know _what_ he was supposed to be doing. The Other Chuck had spent years at this, but Chuck had little to no experience. He hoped that whatever it was required work he was capable of.

"Mr. Bass, can I have a word?" Linda had called after him once he let Lili into his office. Chuck stopped.

"Of course," he walked over to where the secretary was waiting, looking rather surreptitiously around. "What's the problem?"

"Mr. Bass, your…Mike contacted the office this morning and faxed the information you wanted…" she said quietly.

"My history?" Chuck asked, getting unreasonable excited over Mike's expediency. He had to give that man a raise. And this woman, too. He must trust her quite a bit to make her aware of his dealings with Mike.

But Linda frowned at his words. "No, sir. The information concerning Mr. Baizen…Carter Baizen? You wanted it rushed?"

Carter Baizen again. Other Chuck obviously had a mind for revenge too. Despite the let-down of it not being what he had asked for last night, his interest was piqued by what could possibly be in those files. "Yes, I remember. Just give them to me now, I have time."

Linda did as he asked and Chuck took the information from her, burning with curiosity. The Carter in this time or world had appeared to have done quite a bit of damage, or he and his friends (and Blair, he thought, it occurring to him that he couldn't really consider her a friend in this time as much as he would consider her…something else entirely) would have been so hell-bent on getting rid of him. All except the always-ignorant Serena.

With a nod, Chuck took the files and broke the seal while he re-entered his office, delving into what Mike had gathered on his enemy.

A/N: Sorry if this one isn't very well-written…my brain has sunk into a coma-like state from all of the excess education it's gone through lately. Again, it was kind of filler, but the next one will definitely be better! And please review and tell me what you think; what you like, what you don't like, etc. You guys are the best!


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: Don't own.

A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed! You guys are wonderful! Now, a lot of reviewers were telling me that this fic resembled a movie called _The Family Man_. I had never seen it before, but I decided to watch a bit of it online to see if it was true…and there are some really stunning similarities. (To the point that it creeped me out a bit, since I had never seen it) Anyway, I didn't watch the whole thing because I don't want it to affect what I write, but I'll probably watch it when I'm done with this, since it looked pretty good. So, anyway, I'm guessing if you like what I've written, you'll like the movie... But now to the actual chapter...

Three hours later, Chuck dropped Carter's file on his desk and rubbed his face tiredly. Well, now at least he understood why they all hated the guy so much. Carter seemed to have made appearances in their lives during the worst possible times, and knowing Carter, he had thoroughly enjoyed it.

The first record of Carter beyond what he did to Nate after the Lost Weekend was the Debutante Ball. And it was straight off of Gossip Girl… Nate and Carter had gotten into a fist fight on the dance floor over Blair and both were thrown from the event.

After that, Carter had jumped in and out of their lives, mostly through Serena…who was desperate to find her father. Just from reading the report, Chuck could gather exactly what happened. Serena had become attached to Carter because of that soft spot he presumably had for her. And it was enough for her to disappear when she was engaged to Nate (and Chuck was still reeling from the idea that Nate and Serena gave in to their feelings while Blair still drew breath…and an _engagement_), forcing him to call the wedding off. It was no surprise that Nate wanted a piece of the action. And now, Dan Humphrey… Serena was throwing herself into something that could take away more than she stood to lose. As was the way of Serena, Chuck supposed.

What Chuck couldn't figure out was the utter lack of Blair in these write-ups. Nate only told him yesterday that Carter had once messed with Blair in order to get to him…but there was nothing that even remotely resembled what Nate was suggesting. Blair was only mentioned twice in the entire file: the incident at the Debutante Ball and a reference to her dealings with Carter the following year. Chuck was pretty sure that those dealings had to be what Nate was talking about, but there was absolutely no detail in them. Chuck, himself, knew that he would never be so vague. There was something going on here, and it was frustrating.

Liliana watched him as he struck open his phone and punched in the same number he had last night. This time, Mike picked up much sooner, sounding much more alert.

"Yeah, Boss?"

"You had the Carter Baizen file sent over here this morning, didn't you?"

Mike hesitated, smart enough to be wary of his employer's tone. "…yeah. Something wrong with them?"

"Largely, the absence of…" Chuck looked down and saw Liliana gazing at him with deep interest. He knew that she was only three years old, but her predilection for repeating things that he did not want repeated was not a desirable trait. He put his hand over the mouthpiece and looked down at the little girl. "Princess?" he said, and it actually felt very natural to say. "Can you go out and bother Linda for a little bit? Daddy needs to have a private talk with someone."

Liliana pouted. "But you tell me all of your secrets, Daddy! I promise I'll be quiet and I won't tell anyone." Her vow was made with the solemnity of an adult and her brown eyes were wide and guileless. He knew, if given time that he could become a real sap for her cuteness factor, but fortunately she wasn't able to affect him to that extent quite yet.

"Sorry, kid…it's a grown-up thing. And you would be very bored listening to it."

"Would not," she retorted, now she was letting her lower lip jut out. "Daddy, I want to stay here with you…" This was most certainly a Blair-tactic, and the child had mastered it at three. In a few seconds, tears would fill those beautiful, dark orbs and even _he_ would have to grant her every whim.

"Hold on a minute," he said into the phone before placing it on the desk and picking Lili up (he realized that he was making a habit of doing so). The kid immediately locked her arms around his neck and held tight.

"Don't make me go," she pleaded.

Chuck looked down at her, stroking her hair back automatically. It was so soft. "Five minutes," he reasoned with her. He made sure to use an expression that he would wear when making a business proposition. "Five minutes and you come right back in. Deal?"

It was helpful that he was taking her seriously; it seemed to endear him to her. So Liliana considered his words, her hand absently pulling at his tie. "Only five minutes?" she said doubtfully.

"Absolutely. You can have Linda keep track if you don't believe me."

She smirked at him and shook her head. "I'll keep track for _myself_!"

Taking that to be her agreement, Chuck set her down and took her hand. "Whatever you want. Just don't come back until the five minutes are up." He led her to the door and opened it. Liliana calmly dropped his hand and went towards the secretary's desk, and the sight of her walking away from him caused him to shout out on impulse. "Stay right next to Linda…where she can see you." Losing the child was one crisis he didn't need.

"Okay, Daddy."

Chuck closed the door to his office tightly and moved back to his desk, picking up the phone where he had left it. "As I was saying before, I'm a little concerned by the lack of Blair Waldorf's name in this file. I _know_ she had dealings with Baizen beyond what is in here. Why don't I have that?"

Mike was silent for a long moment and Chuck was almost sure that he had lost the connection by the time he spoke. "I don't know what you're looking for, Boss. Unless…you want the stuff you told me to destroy four years ago."

"_Destroy_? Why would you—what do you…why would I tell you to _destroy_ anything you've gotten?" Chuck sputtered. "Why would I do that?"

"If you're talking about the information concerning Mrs. Bass… Boss, are you sure you don't know what I'm talking about?"

Chuck was struck for a moment when he heard Blair referred to as 'Mrs. Bass' but regained his composure quickly."Please. Refresh my memory," he answered grimly. Mike might think that his lack of knowledge was strange, but Chuck paid him, so he couldn't exactly refuse to impart anything. Blair could play games and yell at him, but where Mike was concerned, Chuck held all of the cards.

"It was four years ago right before your marriage to Mrs. Bass. You ordered me to destroy anything I had gathered on her from the age of seventeen onward, which was 99% of what I had. I was told to leave only the barest minimum of what I needed to."

"What would possess me to—"

"I think you said that it was in your pre-nup, Boss."

"My pre-nup?" Chuck questioned drily.

"There was a stipulation from your wife…that you get rid of your information on her life from the moment of your marriage. And I have to say, that it was a real pain in the ass to get rid of the _tons_ of—"

"Forgive me if I'm not all that sympathetic to your plight," Chuck muttered. "Are you sure that when I said 'destroy everything' I didn't mean, 'make it look like you've destroyed everything but really just keep it in a safe place'?"

"Yeah, I mean, you said that it was a…gesture of trust …or something like that."

"And tell me, Mike. When did I become such a goddamned pussy? And why the hell weren't you stopping it?" Chuck had heard just about all that he could take. He couldn't get over the fact that he had actually eradicated all his information on Blair Waldorf simply so she would agree to marry him…it was sickening and sloppy.

One thing was for sure, he needed to find Other Chuck's balls among his many other chores.

"With all due respect, you were never going to use that stuff anyway, Boss. Mrs. Bass is a good fit for you and you wouldn't need any of it unless you were planning on blackmailing her," Mike let out a laugh, like the very thought was ludicrous. "And since you've been married, your more undesirable operations have been yielding more success than ever before."

"Do I let you _work_ for her?" Chuck asked, horrified. He wasn't even paying notice to the fact that Mike was getting more confused by the minute. But Chuck was too disturbed to tread lightly with what he was asking.

"Uh…no…you don't let me deal with Bl—your wife unless it's cleared by you. And you never let me talk to her directly or anything…"

"That's good to know."

"Mrs. Bass is a beautiful and intelligent woman that I would be happy to work for it she needed it." Mike paused. "Does she?"

Picking up on the hopeful tone in his PI's voice, Chuck started feeling irrationally aggressive. "As much as I would enjoy you slobbering over my wife and singing her praises all day, I actually have legitimate work to do, and my daughter is with me for the day, waiting to come back into my office. I just needed to know whether you could remedy this issue for me, but since you obviously can't—"

"Boss, it was in your pre—"

"Whatever. And I need the stuff I asked you for last night." A thought suddenly occurred to Chuck. "Why didn't you tell me about the pre-nup stuff with Blair last night when I asked you for everything you had?"

"I thought you meant what I had left of—"

Chuck cut across him impatiently. "Just get me what I need. And get it to me by tomorrow or we're done here." Chuck punctuated his words by hanging up the phone.

If he hadn't been aware of it before, he was positive now. The marriage between Chuck and Blair…it wasn't about their mutual desire for manipulation and destruction, or lust, or anything else like that. It wasn't shallow, by any means. Chuck _loved_ Blair.

He had suspected it before, but now it couldn't be more obvious. Chuck wouldn't ever permanently get rid of his files…on anyone. Definitely not because he wanted to _marry_ the person.

But the Other Chuck…he had done two things for Blair Waldorf that Chuck wouldn't have done for any other person on this earth. And Chuck knew that that meant something.

So he had tumbled into a relationship of love—of being in love with his best friend's girlfriend. A woman who, in this reality, expected him to love her back…and in _his_ reality, didn't see him as anything more than a friend.

"Daddy," a voice called, muffled by the door. "The five minutes is up!"

"Come in, Ms. Bass," Chuck responded, continuing the play-acting with her. Moments later, Liliana had entered the room and approached the desk. "Did you have fun with Linda?"

The child shook her head. "I counted the whole time!" She reached up her hands to him, expecting him to pick her up, and he couldn't disappoint her. He lifted her and set her on his lap comfortably.

"You're a real Daddy's girl, aren't you?" Clearly, a sucker for the mother was a sucker for the daughter as well.

Lili reached for her markers on the other side of the desk and resumed her coloring. "Mommy always says that. But I'm her girl too!"

"No doubt about that," Chuck grumbled. "What are you drawing anyway?"

He never understood that whole weird thing where a kid would draw a bunch of shapeless lumps that didn't remotely look like anything aesthetically pleasing and parents would put big, dumb smiles on their faces and ramble on about how beautiful it was. And Liliana definitely wasn't much of an artist. The drawing was meticulous, but beyond her ability to make nice shapes and color in the lines, he didn't know what she was going for.

"It's all the hotels you're going to buy…you like hotels." Lili held up the drawing to showing him. "And you're right there!" She pointed to an odd-looking shape off to the side.

"I…see," Chuck said tactfully, praying to God that she wouldn't ask if he liked it. She would be smart enough to see that he hated it. "It's very colorful and…and special."

That seemed to be sufficient praise, because she placed it back on the desk and chose a purple marker from the bunch to use next. "Thank you."

She was finally quiet, and Chuck felt full relief for the first time that day. He had already done all that he could to find out more about this life he was supposed to lead. Now all there was to do was… wait for results. He looked at the spread on his desk, ignoring the Carter Baizen file that was hanging haphazardly off the side. There were so many things that he didn't recognize and they all glared at him with expectation. He had only gotten small instruction in business before all of this crap happened, so he only knew the very basics of what he was doing, and he was hoping that it would survive him as long as he needed.

He saw a number scribbled in red ink right by his phone and figured that it was important. The only problem was that he didn't know what to say once he dialed the number or who would even be on the other end. He reached for the phone so he could contact his secretary to ask her about it, when it rang while his hand was hovering over it. It surprised him so much that he jumped a little, jostling Liliana in his lap.

"Daddy, be careful. My purple almost went into the sky!"

"Sorry," he muttered, as he picked up the phone. "Chuck Bass."

"Mr. Bass, your wife is here to pick up—" As Linda spoke, Blair came through the door with her purse in hand.

"Forget it," he told Linda, not taking his eyes off of Blair. "I've got the message."

"Good afternoon, Mr. Bass," she said smarmily. And Chuck tried to comprehend her tone of voice as he put down the phone slowly and Lili hopped off of Chuck's lap and ran into her mother's arms.

"Mommy!"

Blair lifted the little girl with a smile. "My little ragamuffin! Have you been working with Daddy all morning?"

Lili nodded her head furiously and pointed over to the desk. "My picture is over there."

They approached the desk, and Chuck could think of nothing to say to her, especially since they weren't alone. "You're early."

Blair met his gaze with an intent one of her own. "I am." Then she smiled at her daughter. "Show me your picture, darling."

"Well, all of these are the buildings…the hotels that Daddy and Grandpa buy. And they really big 'cause they are all in the city. And then, there is the grass that's around the hotels and Daddy is over here. He's making sure that all of the hotels are nice and ready for people…"

As Liliana chattered on, Blair's eyes grazed the Carter Baizen file on the corner of the desk and then her eyes were back on him, hard and heated.

"It's beautiful, baby. Can you go wait for me outside? I need to talk to Daddy alone."

"But I _always_ have to go out there…"

"Lili, wait for me outside," Blair said more firmly when her daughter began to complain.

To Chuck's great astonishment, Liliana gave no protest, with the exception of a small frown when her mother set her down and guided her to the door. "I'll be out in a minute, darling."

Once, she was over the threshold, Lili looked between her parents with a tentative look, one that clearly said _Behave yourselves_. Chuck had to bite back a smile at her expression, and it was more imperative once the door closed and he was left alone with the formidable brunette.

Blair turned back to Chuck, her eyebrows creased as she strode back to his desk and lifted the Carter Baizen file off of it before dropping it back down. "Care to explain?"

But Chuck was not about to be cowed by her, feeling more and more like he was participating in some big competition with her. He locked eyes with her and straightened his tie. "It's business."

Blair's face registered faint, mocking amusement. "Really? And what kind of business would you categorize this as? Legitimate? Illicit? Violent?"

Chuck tilted his head to one side as he watched her. For some reason, he was really feeling on his game at the moment. Something about her, and _this_, was heightening his senses. "Don't be so dramatic, Blair. It's just an old file."

"Mike keeps all of your old files, Chuck. As I'm well aware…but you know that, don't you? You yourself told me that, just like you've told me thousands of other things that you all of the sudden can't seem to remember. So, tell me _this_. Why have you been acting like we're both idiots?"

Chuck hadn't thought that she would get into this; that she had even caught on so fast shocked him. But he should have known that Blair Waldorf could obtain an Olympic medal for the amount of times she surprised him within the last twenty-four hours. His heart was suddenly jumping in his chest.

"I haven't been…" he trailed off, unsure of what to say. "You don't get it."

Blair flushed and her hand came down on his desk fleetingly. "There's nothing to get! You haven't told me anything!"

"That's the point!" Chuck retorted, frustrated quicker than he anticipated. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you!"

Blair didn't respond, but stood there and straightened, her eyes expressing something he didn't recognize. Her arms were stiffly at her sides and she blinked at him. "But I would," she whispered. "I would believe _you_."

Chuck tried to ignore the feeling of shame that was making an unsavory appearance. This wasn't real. This wasn't real.

"What happened? Why don't you trust me anymore?" The sadness in those words drove him insane with the need to fix it. This wasn't _fair_.

"It's not about _my _trust. It's about you…" He wanted to tell her the truth right there. He wanted to so badly that his hands were shaking. "God, I trust you, Blair." He had to stop himself, because he was lingering on the precipice of saying, 'You're the only person I trust.' And he knew that he wasn't talking about here…but about his own time, where Blair was the person that _got _him when his father was too disapproving and Nate was too oblivious. But as long as he didn't say it out loud then he could pretend that it wasn't true. He could pretend that it wasn't about Blair, even before all of this happened.

He could pretend. Because he was afraid.

"The point is, that you've been working on Carter behind my back." Blair said, moving them back on track.

"Wrong on that count."

"Then what is it, Chuck? Can you give me an answer I might actually believe?"

Chuck moved around the side of the desk towards her, his eyes narrowing. "Why are you so suspicious? What the hell did I do to you that you're so sure that I'm lying to you?"

"Oh, shall I count the ways!" Blair shot back, her voice dripping with sarcasm and her face flushed.

"What are you talking about?"

Blair shook her head. "Are you really interested in bringing up ancient history? Because I have no interest in doing so."

"That's fine for you. Yes, believe the worst of me and walk away from the fight." Chuck felt the need to move closer to her, but as he took a step forward, she deftly moved back. He was overwhelmed by that feeling again…the burning, ice-fire feeling. "Typical Blair. Things not going perfect? Pretend it doesn't exist!"

"You should talk!" Chuck was only dimly aware of advancing on her, but it only took seconds for her back to be against a wall. "I'm not the one who ran every time things got a little bit difficult." Chuck had her pinned to the wall next to the door, his hands sliding onto the wall on either side of her. But Blair wouldn't back down and he couldn't tear his eyes away from her heaving chest under her white blouse; he couldn't take it. "If I'm delusional, at least I'm not a coward," she hissed, looking into the darkness of his eyes, the only thing she could see.

He didn't know why he was reacting this way, and maybe on some level it disturbed him, but it didn't stop his hand from reaching up and grasping her chin of its own accord, forcing her face up to his. He was incensed by her and he marveled at it. "Then I guess we're a match made in Hell."

He leaned in, intending to kiss her into oblivion, but with a gasp, she turned her head and pressed herself further against the wall. "Don't do this to me," she muttered.

His mouth was against her ear. "Do what?" he breathed. She was far too attractive to him. It shouldn't have been this way…they were arguing but he wanted her so bad. He didn't understand…

She pushed him away as hard as she could and went for the door. But his hand was holding it closed before she reached the handle and she went still. "Stay," he growled. "Come on, don't leave me."

He was only half-surprised when she stopped and didn't move, allowing his body to mold with hers. Pulling her back up against him, his head on her shoulder. She shivered. "Chuck…"

He could feel her reaction to him. The desire was completely mutual and Chuck even wondered why they were delaying the inevitable. He wanted to take her here, over and over. The instinct was immediate and powerful. And he didn't need to convince her any further.

Blair turned in his arms and looked at him, lust and reluctance and wanting all clouding her eyes. Her hands were resting lightly on his shoulders and Chuck had his hands on her, pushing her back against the wall. "Was there ever a time when it wasn't like this?" he asked her quietly, keeping his yearning for her at bay. He couldn't help but ask, because he had never felt such physical longing for one person and it was strange to think that he and Blair had even been able to coexist without this feeling.

There was never a time before or after it. And she was the only woman in the world.

"Chuck," she said, and her voice spoke it so comfortably that he moved closer to her, his lips by her temple. She seemed to be struggling with something, and he understood as soon as she spoke. "I'm so _mad_ at you!"

He thought he would surprise her when he kissed her then, but she was ready for him, meeting his kiss with equal force. He lost whatever control he possessed in that moment. His lips were everywhere as he slammed her against the wall. She moaned into his mouth as he hands grasped her skirt, pushing it further up her thighs and lifting her. Blair's legs went around his hips and she threw her head back as he trailed his lips down her neck to her collarbone, tasting her.

He felt her hands on his shirt, trembling on the buttons, trying to tear them away. And he began backing up, needed his desk…needing a flat surface.

Their tongues insistently clashed as he pushed her down on the desk, most of the things in their way clattering to the floor loudly. She was moaning as his hands went up her skirt, toying with her.

"Chuck," she gasped.

"Jesus Christ!" he groaned against her mouth, amazed at the utter need that she was making him feel. "Only you…" He pulled her as close as he could, hovering over her and looking at her. She was so beautiful…she always had been. And he couldn't remember anything else except her, not Nate or Carter or Bart, or any of the reasons that he should run as fast as he could away from her. This was bigger than him.

His hands pulled open her blouse and he buried his face in her flat stomach below her breast, feeling her hands gripping his hair and pulling him up so she could command him with her mouth again. His hands went to his belt, tired of the games and more than ready for this, and she seemed to have the same idea as her hands went for his belt too. But as their hands collided with each other's, a cell phone began blaring loudly.

"Ugh, what?" he cursed, as Blair released him and, pulling down her skirt, went for her phone. Her blouse was held tightly in one hand.

"Hello?" she asked. She was trying in vain to control her breathing and Chuck kept a white-knuckled hold on his desk so he wouldn't attack her where she stood. She looked oh-so fuckable, with her swollen lips and hair slightly mussed….and it didn't help that she looked slightly punch-drunk after their encounter. "Oh, yes, Evan, I'm sorry. I'll be there as soon as possible."

She closed her phone and looked at him briefly. "I have to go."

Chuck wanted to punch something. "Why?" He moved towards her, but she flung out a hand in warning.

"Don't do that! I really need to go, and you're making it so difficult! Just stay where you are!"

He held up his hands in surrender. "Okay, okay…I won't move."

"I'll see you at home," she told him as she adjusted herself as best as she could. "We'll discuss this later…I'm still mad at you."

Chuck smirked, because she didn't sound very mad, despite how serious she was. He was feeling a little light-headed. "We will discuss this later."

"We _will_!" she snapped, straightening herself out for the final time. Then, wordlessly, she turned to go, but Chuck reflexively caught her hand. "What?" she groaned, wanting to stay away from his touch as much as possible. Still, she held still and waited for him.

Not really sure what he was doing, Chuck raised her hand to his lips, leaving them burning there for a few long seconds. "I'll see you at home," he whispered, allowing her to pull away and delighting in the effect that he had on her. She shakily glanced at him one last time.

"I'll tell Lili that you said good-bye."

Then, she was gone, her scent still tortuously hanging in the room. And once Chuck had a few seconds to collect himself; he began reeling from what had just happened.

He now had a way to bend Blair to his will…but it was just as dangerous for him as it was for her. This natural, chemical reaction between them…it turned out that the Other Chuck wasn't the only one that was a slave to her sexual prowess, apparently no Chuck was safe.

But how could that be? How could they be so frighteningly _good_ together? All he knew was that he had never wanted to kill someone to be with them, and Blair had just made him murderously lustful. And this wasn't because he loved her, and it wasn't because he was Other Chuck. It was because they were _Chuck and Blair_.

He had forgotten everything else in this realization…because he was beginning to suspect something. And it wasn't a good thing. He was beginning to suspect that if he actually had sex with this woman…with Blair…then he would never recover.

A/N: Kind of a long chapter, but I hope you like it! It sort of went different than what I had planned, but oh well! I think I'm still recovering from finals…Please review and tell me what you think!


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: Don't own.

A/N: Alright, **ladychrysanthemum**, I did my best to get this out as soon as possible and even partly forgot Christmas :). I hope you enjoy it! And thank you to all of my other reviewers, especially **nondescriptf**, **Krazy4Spike**, **HnMSkinnys**, **BirkinBag**, **libertine84**, **ellibells**, **86kay**, **SweetDarkling**, **notoutforawalk**,** Taylorr x333**, **Chris2035** and many and all others who review (those are some that I can remember, probably because they are consistent). You are all wonderful and it is very much appreciated! But I won't bore you any longer…

Chuck got home late that night, completely exhausted. His father had run into Blair and Lili on their way out of the office and after exchanging pleasantries, Bart stalked into Chuck's office…and wasn't pleased at all.

Chuck had accomplished nothing that day that had anything to do with Bass Industries. And to put it plainly, Bart completely reamed him out, demanding to know what the hell Chuck had been doing the entire day. Chuck stumbled over the curt explanation that it was personal business, to which Bart grew even more furious, exclaiming that Chuck had promised that his current mess with Blair would not affect his job.

So after making a few phone calls and being dragged to an investor's meeting, Chuck carried himself to the penthouse, dreading what would await him. Sure enough, as he got out of the elevator, Liliana launched herself at him, chattering endlessly about all she had done after her mother had picked her up.

Thankfully, from what he gathered, she had not asked her mother about "unresolved sexual frustration." She went on and on about how she had modeled for Eleanor and how Blair told her she was well-behaved at the "lawyer office." Chuck just kept nodding at her, hoping that there would be some form of respite eventually. He looked up hopefully when Blair finally emerged, but it was only to tell him that she and Liliana had already eaten and he could order up room service, and then promptly disappeared again. Lili continued to yammer in his ear, even talking while he ate. He supplied her with the occasional "Oh really?" and "That's great, Princess" which forestalled any suspicions she might have with his behavior.

But he supposed that he must have become too absentminded, because Liliana suddenly stood up, her feet balancing on his legs while he sat, and faced him.

Chuck drew back as she reached for his face, a light frown clouding her expression. "What's wrong?" he asked quickly.

The little girl didn't respond at first, only touched his mouth, her fingers brushing him like a feather as they played with the corners of his mouth and travelled up the side of his face. Her fingers moved like a painter's as they traced his down-turned eyebrows and then drifted away.

"You're thinking," she said softly. "You're thinking far away…"

Chuck felt his breath catch at the small sentence and he searched her eyes, as if he somehow expected her to figure it all out. "I'm sorry," was all he could think to utter. But she seemed indifferent to his apology, still drinking in what she could of his face. He watched her and tried to mask his feelings or betray anything that might confuse her.

But he could see that she was already there…already puzzled by him. He had seen that look a million times…while he was with Blair, when she would try to figure out something serious—a problem that really bothered her.

Liliana took in a deep breath. "Do you—"

Blair appeared at the doorway. "Lili, it's time for bed."

The reaction was immediate, and so comical that Chuck had to laugh. "It can't be!" Liliana spun quickly on Chuck's lap, causing her to lose her balance and if not for Chuck's steadying hands, she would have been flat on the floor. But the near-fall did nothing to impede her complaints. "It's only been, like, seventy minutes since Daddy's been home!"

"Daddy got back late, darling. Check the clock."

But Liliana sank back down on Chuck's lap and shook her head. "I won't look at it." She squeezed her eyes shut for good measure.

Blair rolled her eyes. "Look at it or don't look at it all you like. Bedtime is bedtime."

"Mommy, please!" When she saw that her mother would not be moved, she turned to stare at Chuck, lip trembling. "…Daddy…"

Chuck knew this was the time for his expected intervention, so he stood, lifting Liliana with him. "Sorry, kiddo. Mommy can tell time better than both of us. I'm afraid you're down for the night."

Blair did manage a small smile at Chuck as he put the reluctant child down and Blair took her hand to drag her up the stairs. When they had reached the foot of it, Liliana turned back with the word "Traitor" plainly on her mind. "Daddy, _two_ stories tonight! You promised! You gotta come up too and read to me! And tuck me in!"

Chuck looked up at the ceiling. "Just shoot me and get it over with."

"Daddy!"

"Coming, Princess…" Chuck grumbled before following after them.

Liliana made sure that both of her parents were there for her tucking-in process…but it didn't take long for Chuck to begin to refer to it (in his head only) as a Tucking-In Ceremony. The kid not only required two stories (Liliana never forgot the debts that were owed her) but also a glass of warm milk, her hair done so it wouldn't be a tangled mess when she woke up, and Blair's soft singing. By the time, they trudged out of the room, it was an hour and a half from when it had first begun. For the most part, he had watched from the shadows, and when he was actually called upon to do something, he had felt like an idiot and could feel Blair scrutinizing his every move. Why couldn't he have been dropped into a universe with a _stupid_ wife?

As they moved down the stairs, silently and together, Chuck glanced at his watch and couldn't believe the time. It was only eight o'clock! And worse, he was exhausted enough to go to sleep right at that moment…but then he remembered Blair's promise at the office and he almost emitted an audible groan.

After everything that had happened today, he didn't think that he could mentally handle another talk. He would have to put it off at all costs.

"Chuck?"

He was spurred out of his thoughts by the sound of her voice and he looked around to see her leaning against a chair, eyeing him. There was a question in her eyes…but he couldn't move. His legs had frozen and he just stared back at her.

It was _Blair_. Standing there; lovely. Her dark eyes filled with something, maybe worry, but he realized that was perhaps one of the reasons he…enjoyed her company so much. Her eyes were _always_ filled with something. He had never seen her look empty in all of the years that he had known her. Nate would occasionally get an insubstantial look when he had been smoking, or before, when Chuck knew that he was thinking about Serena.

And Serena, there was a slight but constant emptiness about her, though she tried to hide it with other things…compensating with her stark beauty and sunny disposition. But they all knew that she was searching and she always would be, because whatever she was trying to grasp just wasn't there. Serena only _thought_ that she wanted to run…but Chuck always thought that what she really wanted was for someone to stop her.

Whether Blair was infinitely happy, or calculating, or pained—there was always something in those eyes. And when he was at his worst, and he had wanted to just lay waste to himself and forget it all, he would call _her_ and just have her there. And he could drown in the _something_ that was assuredly in her eyes. It could fill him too.

Blair. His friend, standing directly in front of a fireplace. Waiting for him and not Nate. It didn't get any easier no matter how long he stayed here. Granted, he had only been here for twenty-four hours, but Chuck still couldn't wrap his mind around how strange and wrong this place was…because there were many instances when it felt very right. And those moments of right were at their most blatant when he was with Blair. It hadn't been long, but Chuck could tell that she and Other Chuck had been a good match.

And if this stupid situation had gotten him anything, it had shown him how important Blair was to him as a friend and confidante…and how much he noticed things about her that he hadn't even done consciously.

But it wasn't love and it never would be. It couldn't be.

"Chuck…" she said it so softly that she could have sighed his name. She said his name a lot, like she knew that it sounded so good coming out of her mouth. But there was no way that she could have known that.

"Blair," he countered. He was beginning to wonder what she had in store for him.

When he finally addressed her, Blair turned slowly, almost coyly and walked towards the master suite. Chuck followed after her like a man possessed and almost immediately regretted it.

"No,no, no, no, no," Chuck paled and muttered quickly to himself as he averted his eyes. As soon as Blair had walked into "their" bedroom, she unbuttoned her blouse and shimmied out of her skirt, leaving herself in nothing but lingerie…very sexy lingerie.

Blair must have heard him under his breath, because she turned to look at him with eyes too wide to be completely innocent. "Did you say something?"

Chuck was still looking away from her, feeling very uncomfortable. He wouldn't sleep with her. It was out of the question because he could sense what a mistake it would be. She was too good.

Abstaining from anything…especially sex, was something that he never did. And Blair (who he found he was unbearably attracted to) stripping in front of him would serve to do nothing but drive him insane.

"I'm going to the down to the bar." Chuck refused to look at her and pivoted quickly to leave the room. Predictably, Blair sashayed to his side, grabbing his arm.

"Chuck, no! We need to talk!"

He finally looked down at her, noting her every perfect curve, her smooth, white skin and the chocolate curls falling around her shoulders. "_This_ is talking?" he asked incredulously. "Or are you just trying to make me lose control? What is this, a game to you?"

Surprisingly, she was smiling in the face of his frustration, before dipping closer to his ear, her perfume reaching his nose gently. He was beginning to sweat. "That's _exactly_ what this is."

Confused, Chuck pulled away from her and took a step back. "So now you want to play games?" He didn't understand where the hell she was coming from, and he was getting angry. He didn't like the constant turning of tables that was springing up between them.

"That seems to be the only language you speak these past two days! That and _sex_." Blair said, matching him with her own irritation. He couldn't even appreciate the irony of her saying sex was on his mind when they hadn't even _had _sex and all he could think of at the moment was how he would manage to maintain his self-control. "Apparently, that's what we've reverted to…_again_! You, hiding things. You, doing something to destroy us! This…it's just like it was before! I feel like…"

"Like what?" Chuck asked softly. It was clear that Other Chuck was not always Mr. Wonderful, at least, the way Blair was talking about him right now. Other Chuck sounded no better than the Chuck standing before her. He was consumed by the sudden curiosity to know what had happened between them all this time, but he couldn't ask. And he didn't want to make her mad.

"Like…" Blair stepped away from him, running her hands down her face. She looked so flustered. "Chuck, I can't go back to the way it was. The way it was before—in high school, before Lili…don't you understand that? You know that!"

This was getting too heavy. He honestly just wanted to get to the bar downstairs and get wasted and forget about all of this. Better yet, he wanted the first plane out of here to a place where no one knew him. And it wasn't even because he hated the life here. There were certain aspects of this life that he couldn't imagine and things that he loathed…but others, Blair and Lili…he didn't know how he felt about them. And that's exactly why they were so dangerous and terrifying. He didn't want to hurt anybody, most of all, himself.

He was brought back to reality (whatever form of it he was currently ensconced in) by Blair's hands. Blair's hands on his cheeks, like Lili's had been only two hours ago. "See, you're doing it, Chuck. I don't have you right now. I don't even recognize you."

His hands were on her wrists, pulling them down gently. She looked down at the motion of it, his hands pulling hers away, and then let out a little laugh. But it wasn't a happy laugh. "Actually, that's not true, I know _exactly_ who I'm seeing."

Chuck held his breath and waited as she stepped back again and found slim, silk robe to wrap around herself. His hands were playing with the buttons on his jacket, letting them free one by one before he held his arms up to her, almost a gesture of surrender. "It's me. I'm just here, Blair."

"I know it's you…" she said uncertainly. "But you're different now. You aren't _like_ this."

"Then what am I like? Why won't you tell me what is really the problem instead of treading around it?" Chuck demanded.

Blair gave him an ironic smile. "I don't know what the problem is, though. If I tried to tell you what's running through my mind at the moment, you would think that I've lost my faculties completely."

"I highly doubt it," Chuck threw in dryly.

She tied the robe and she looked up, as if searching for answers. "I just know that you aren't you…you are and you aren't. And I can't explain _that_."

Blair didn't even look willing to talk to him anymore, but Chuck didn't want to leave the conversation in this limbo…where it was sure to be brought up again or continually hanging around them like a dark shroud. He was grasping at straws, trying to think of a way to make her believe him without telling the truth. To heal the wound without the right medication.

The alacrity of his movement appeared to surprise her when he took a few quick steps toward her, softly covering her arms with his hands. He gazed at her imposingly, until she was forced to meet his eye, their nearness warming each other. With a practice hand, he stroked her cheek, pushing a lock of hair from her ear and trailing down her jaw. "You can't tell me this doesn't feel natural," he murmured.

She swallowed. "It _does_." Then she raised herself on her tiptoes and rested her forehead against his, taking refuge in the timelessness of it. They were transcendent. "But I _know_ him."

He didn't refute her choice of pronoun, but allowed the intimate connection that she had forged with him, hoping that it would convince her. But it didn't.

All of her features posed a challenge to him as she backed away. "Tell me I'm wrong."

He shrugged, so he could play off the way his legs felt like jelly. Chuck was out of his league with this Blair. "You're wrong."

For the slightest second, he caught something in her reaction that scared him, but it wasn't anything that he could pinpoint. But then, it was gone as quickly as it had come and she sent him a bright smirk. "You were always one of the best liars, Bass."

He wasn't sure what they had settled upon but then she was kissing him, long and hard, and he compulsively responded to her before she pulled away far too soon. "I'm going to take a shower. Alone."

He was torn between being put-out and feeling relief. He was still very aware of the damage she could inflict on him just through sex, though he still wasn't sure how he knew it. "As you wish…"

"I do wish," she grinned as he let his hand linger on her stomach as she passed him. "No need to conserve water anyway."

"No."

The door to the bathroom clicked shut before he even breached the insurmountable confusion that Blair had piled on him. She suspected he was different, but knew he was the same…she believed the something was wrong, but didn't believe herself…

The amusing part of this all was that he had no more answers than she did. And he was the one that was supposed to be intentionally guarding secrets from her. She didn't seem angry with him, but she did seem very wary. He didn't blame her, but he needed a way to make her trust him. He knew that Blair was, at the end of the day, a realist. And she wouldn't put her trust in something completely ridiculous and outlandish. There was a part of her in there that was convinced that Chuck was nothing more than a little off, and he had to appeal to that part.

He had to go back to doing what he did best with Blair Waldorf.

And the worthless Carter Baizen and the chaos he had created was just the assistance he required.

######################################################################

Chuck rubbed his face for the thousandth time that day as he stared at the mound of paperwork that Bart had stacked (rather, he had a gopher do it, but who was keeping track?) on his deck. He was largely ignoring the fact that it was there, unconcerned with anything that didn't have to do with getting him back to his own time or world or reality, etc. His secretary had been in and out, helping him fill it out and looking increasingly bewildered every time she entered his office. But Chuck didn't care…Linda the secretary was only a blip on the map of people that had to believe that he was Other Chuck. And she was on his payroll, which meant that she was making money in part to put up with him and his mood swings. But with her assistance, he had completed about half of what he was left to do.

Chuck was preoccupied. Last night, Blair had made a barrier out of pillows down the middle of the bed to prevent herself from ending up on top of him. But much to his delight and her chagrin, she had managed to burst through her makeshift wall and woke up the next morning curled around him with his unconscious embrace reciprocating.

Chuck, of course, couldn't stop making jokes about it from the time they woke up to when she slid out of the limo for work (which they inhabited alone today, since little Liliana was safely in Dorota's care). But she took his ribbing about as good-naturedly as he would expect Blair Waldorf to in the face of any teasing…which led him to wonder if this had occurred before when she was with Other Chuck. He was almost sure that it had. But it didn't change how dire his situation was or the fact that he needed to find some footing where Blair was concerned.

Linda entered the room a half-hour later to hand over the files that Mike had sent over. Chuck texted the man a quick thank-you, promising some bonus while the secretary had to make several trips in order to deliver it all to Chuck. Upon skimming through some choice files, Chuck could see that Mike was definitely telling the truth—Blair barely appeared in any of the files, and when mentioned, Chuck would see her name and _maybe_ an extremely vague description of an incident. That pre-nup was literally one of the stupidest things that Other Chuck had done.

Chuck was beginning to divide the files into two piles: negligible and significant, when a phone call from Linda interrupted him again. "Sir, I'm very sorry to bother you again, but Mr. Humphrey insists upon seeing you and as he's your brother-in-law—"

"How did a Humphrey even set foot in the building?" Chuck mused over the line with disgust. "Does Bass still possess its standards?"

"He claims that it is about your sister…"

Sister? Oh, Serena. Serena…his sister. Right. "Yeah, fine, let him in. And bring the disinfectant in to me immediately after I get rid of him."

Chuck dropped his phone with a sigh. He would never get out of here when surrounded by these incompetents…and what the hell did Humphrey think he had business here for? Chuck would certainly not even consider lending a scrap to the snotty pauper from Brooklyn (what did he do for a living anyway?).

But Chuck wasn't expecting the Dan Humphrey that appeared at his door. This one was on a mission, a desperate mission, from the looks of it. His face was shadowed with dark stubble and he looked like he hadn't slept very well. But his eyes were the tell-tale sign…they were the picture of panic, flitting around the room comically as he came into the room.

Chuck made an attempt to speak, but Humphrey cut across him. "Look, I know that you don't like me and I have to admit, that the feeling is mutual. So you have to understand how far out of options I am when I decide to come to _you_."

"Charming," Chuck said sarcastically. "I would ask you to take a seat, but I'm not keen on being insulted."

Dan waved an impatient hand. "Let's skip the exchanging of un-pleasantries, if you don't mind. I want you to tell me what's going on with Serena and Carter Baizen and I want you to tell me now."

A/N: So we have more people coming into the mix (who were technically already "there" but whatever! Though the story will mainly focus on Blair, Chuck, and their kid…there will be other players. It wouldn't be fun without the people! I wrote over Christmas to get this out, and I would like to wish every a belated Merry Christmas, since I neglected to in the last chapter…and if anyone wants to bestow a late present on me, they are MORE than welcome to review. Please and thank you!


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: Don't own.

A/N: Sorry for the delay :( A string of things prevented this chapter from coming up (illness and then a horrible vacation with no internet access…just my life) and I wanted to get it up as quickly as I possibly could. Thank you to EVERYONE who reviewed and has shown support, especially those who do regularly (most of whom I mentioned in the last chapter)…you guys keep it going! I will get to review replies, I just wanted to send this out first.

****And please keep in mind that I DO have a vision in mind for this story and if you don't pay attention to some of the details, you might miss something. I recently got a review (left three times, no less) in which the reviewer asked me several questions that I had already answered in the course of the story, while also admitting that he/she skimmed paragraphs. If it bores you to that extent, please remember that I am not forcing you to read my story. The reason that I am writing about Carter and Serena is because it **directly **pertains to the upcoming C/B. This is a C/B fic, after all. If you don't like it, you don't have to read it. I have removed said review and have said my piece. I just wanted to make this clear… But now, to the story!

Chuck surveyed Dan's form from his place behind his desk, considering what he should say. He didn't know Humphrey that well at all, and what he did know only gave him cause to despise. Last he checked (which was, admittedly, ten years too early) the grubby scholarship student had punched him in the face.

Chuck didn't like when people physically assaulted him. He didn't like walking around with a black eye. If someone wasn't intelligent enough to get things done without getting their hands dirty, then they weren't worth associating with. If Dan wasn't such a non-entity, he would've taken care of him before.

Dan was crossing his arms, waiting for information that Chuck didn't have to give, with an air of entitlement that made Chuck sneer.

"I don't have to tell you that it _isn't_ a pleasure. I also probably don't have to tell you that I'm not a fan of people marching into my office demanding answers. I'm trying to get something done, Humphrey. And assuming you're employed…what _do _you do, anyway? I'm sure you have better things to do as well."

But Humphrey refused to be goaded into responding in anger. He clenched his jaw and stared at Chuck, the determination plain on his face. His eyes expressed one thing—he would not be leaving until he had some information.

"Humphrey, if I thought you would be of _any_ use at all, I would include you in the takedown of Carter Baizen, wouldn't I?" Chuck actually didn't know enough about Other Chuck's relationship with Dan Humphrey to say that, but he was sure that his counterpart wasn't above using the unwashed masses for his own benefit. And perhaps the Brooklyn boy would have been useful for leg-work, but Chuck was not interested in involving him in the possible affair between his wife and Baizen. Men tended towards the dramatic when ensnared by Serena…not that she didn't give them good reason.

"I think that you would lie. And if it came down to me or Serena, I _know_ what you'd do. You've always hated me."

Still staring at Dan, Chuck leaned far back in his chair, giving the appearance that he was more comfortable than he felt. "You've never given me reason to like you. But I digress. From where I'm sitting, I'd say that this is more of an issue of whether you trust your wife or not…"

The man shifted uncomfortably onto one foot, and Chuck knew that he had hit his mark. "I trust Serena," Dan said hesitantly. "But I also know Serena." He suddenly looked up at Chuck. "Come on, if Blair was—"

"Don't talk about her!" Chuck snapped. Dan started and even Chuck couldn't figure out where the sudden anger had come from. It was something about this nobody before him that made Blair's name coming from his mouth appalling. Blair was not unlike Chuck, and Chuck didn't want her name sullied anymore than he wanted his to be. "Speak down to your own kind."

Finally, Dan frowned, unable to see the root of Chuck's hostility. "Wow. You know, it's been a long time since you were this rude. I thought the agreement was to tolerate each other for the sake of our wives. What's gotten into you?"

"Funny enough, it isn't any of your business." Chuck was trying to calm down, but in his mind all he could see was the outsider—the guy from Brooklyn who had a silly crush on Serena…the fool who didn't realize that she was unattainable and was clearly humoring him. The guy who punched him. Punched him in the face. He didn't know where they stood as of now, but he was certain that it wasn't friendly. He was having a hard enough time keeping a grip on the world that he knew like the back of his hand ten years prior. The addition of Dan Humphrey did nothing to serve his mood positively.

"Trouble in paradise?" Dan asked snidely. He was more than finished with being bullied. But then he studied the way Chuck's face fell and the momentary look of confusion that disappeared as soon as it had come. He looked as suave as ever, but something about him was different. He looked much more tired, and ever-so-slightly out-of-place. As a writer, Dan prided himself on being observant…he just didn't know what to make of that.

While he ruminated over that, he had given Chuck ample time to recover. The Bass heir turned his slanted eyes on Humphrey again, his voice steady and flippant. "Well, if you don't mind me saying…or even if you do…I believe my paradise is a lot less troubled than yours."

"Do you have any proof of that?" Dan retorted immediately. He hadn't come here to get in a pissing contest with Chuck Bass, and he needed to get this conversation back on track.

"Perhaps…" Chuck trailed off and Dan caught Chuck studying him again. It was strange, as if Dan was an image out of focus that Chuck was trying and failing to see. It made the Brooklynite uncomfortable, but also curious. "What makes you think that I would know anything?"

Dan snorted. "If you don't know something, then _nobody_ knows anything. And you hate Carter more than—as much as—I do. And you've never been a fan of him and Serena getting together." He shrugged. "You can do the math as well as I can."

"As _interested_ as I am in Serena's safety," Chuck tried hard not to let the sarcasm reach his tone, but he himself couldn't think of a single reason why he would be this protective of the blonde bombshell. He had to often mentally remind himself that she was his step-sister. "I don't believe I have the answers you're looking for."

In truth, Chuck knew nothing. All he had was a background on Carter (which aggravatingly did not include his escapades with Blair) and two half-assed discussions delivered by Nate and Serena the night of his father's party…which wasn't much to go on at all. He could direct Humphrey to Blair, who surely knew more than he did, but he hated the guy and didn't want to offer him help _or_ access to Blair of any kind.

"That's a cop-out, Chuck."

The brunette threw his hands in the air. "Really? Why the hell would I keep tabs on who Serena is jumping into bed with? Isn't that supposed to be your job? If anything, I'm simply concerned with getting the little fucker out of town. The horse he may or may not currently be riding is not my problem."

At the last, crude words, Chuck saw Dan clench and unclench his fists and it gave him the strangest mix of satisfaction and guilt to see it. He knew that Brooklyn wanted to hit him, but was resisting the impulse.

His gaze finally travelled back up to Humphrey's face and he realized that Dan was staring at him almost wide-eyed.

"What…the hell…is wrong with you?" Dan said slowly. The dark-haired man before Chuck was looking at him in the way that he had expected everyone to look at him when they saw him. And his heart pounded while Dan recognized him as a phony.

"As usual, your perception is lacking," Chuck began, but Dan cut him off, moving closer to the desk.

"…no. You know, I get paid to look at the world around me and write about it. And so I spend enough time watching people to know when they aren't themselves. And you aren't."

Chuck rubbed his face hard, taking a deep breath. "It's been a long day, Humphrey. Made no better by you bursting into my office with stupid questions."

"Is it Blair?" Dan persisted. Chuck wanted to punch him. He didn't really know this guy, but his needling was wearing out very quickly.

"What does it even _matter _to you, Humphey?" He really had no idea what Brooklyn's angle was here. If the man wanted answers, he would be better off if he shut the fuck up. "You know what? I've had enough. Get the fuck out of my office."

Dan blinked and was silent for a moment. Chuck's hand hovered over his phone, ready to call security when Dan let out an amazed laugh and shrugged. "You have a point. What _do_ I care? Just forget I asked. I forgot that concern for human beings wasn't high on your list of priorities."

"Not really true," Chuck rolled his eyes. "I don't consider you a human being."

"And I don't care about your marriage or your state of well-being, either. And I don't care that you're acting like a body snatcher…I have more important things to worry about. Like why my wife has been spending so much time in numerous hotels around the city."

Chuck clapped his hands sarcastically. "Then we're settled. Now get out before I tell my secretary get the insecticide. I can't help you with Baizen."

There was the slightest hesitation before Dan realized that Chuck was very serious and turned slowly to leave. Chuck watched silently as Dan strode to the door and gripped the handle, his hand clenching it tighter than necessary. Once more, he turned back and looked at Chuck, a hardness in his eyes that Chuck had yet to see through the entire meeting with him.

"If you had to guess…really had to guess…" Dan just barely got the words out and Chuck didn't need for him to finish to understand what he was asking.

"I'd say she's fucking him," Chuck said without emotion. He certainly wasn't going to preserve Dan's feelings and lie. Serena and Carter would make a combustible combination in the best circumstances and Chuck knew how Serena was attracted always to the most complicated thing she could get her hands on (best friend's boyfriend anyone?). As far as he knew, that hadn't changed.

Dan's jaw clenched again and this time he couldn't hide the pain in his expression. He gave Chuck a jerky nod and threw open the door with unnecessary force.

"What are you going to do?" Chuck asked curiously to Humphrey's retreating back. He didn't want Dan inserting himself in the business with Carter…with the position he was in with Blair, it was the last thing he needed. Brooklyn struck Chuck as something of a loose cannon.

The laugh that came from the other man's mouth was harsh and sardonic. "I'm going to get a drink. At the Palace Bar."

Of course, Dan Humphrey was about to go and do the one thing that Chuck had been dying to do ever since he landed in this reality. That is, if he was telling the truth and he wasn't going to go find Carter and bust his face open.

"Want them on the house?" Chuck could barely believe that he had actually voiced this fleeting thought, and neither could Dan, from the looks of it.

"You're offering me free drinks?"

"No, you imbecile. I'm coming with you." Chuck went around the desk and reached for his coat. "If you get shit-faced enough, maybe you won't do anything stupid. Like go after Carter."

Dan was only pulled out of his stunned state when Chuck tried to push past him. "Are you offering to babysit me while I drink because my wife is possibly having an affair with a greasy vagabond?"

"Hardly. And for the record, that was the gayest sentence I've ever heard," Chuck sneered. "It just so happens that I could use a little pick-me-up." Maybe it would help if someone was there to keep him from his own thoughts, even if that person was Dan Humphrey. Trying to come to terms with everything while alone and drinking would only accomplish his entry into the nut-house. If he wasn't there already. "We'll take the limo, since I assume that you hailed a germ-infested taxi to get here."

Dan shuddered. "I'm not riding in that limo. As if we all aren't aware of what goes on in there regularly."

Chuck frowned slightly before he realized what Dan was talking about, recalling what Blair had said to him that first night in the limo while straddling him. Then…he smirked. "Ahhh. Humphrey, don't be jealous of my limo because it gets more action than you will ever achieve in your life. It's petty."

He let out a little laugh as Dan rolled his eyes and led the way, obviously not in the mood to joke. "Maybe I'll give you some tips."

Surprisingly, Humphrey turned to look at him before giving the Bass heir an empty little smirk of his own. "I'll say this for you, even though you're being weird as hell, you're still a prick. Some things never change."

"Hysterical. Just man up and let's go. I haven't had any fucking scotch in days."

Dan said nothing, but reluctantly turned and started for the door, Chuck right behind him.

"Mr. Bass…" a tentative voice came from the left and Chuck knew it was his secretary.

"Linda," he said charmingly, turning to face the woman who was standing at her desk with an unsure expression on her face. "What can I do for you?" This bitch would not be ruining his one and only chance to go to the bar.

As he got closer to the desk, she looked nervously around before whispering to him. "Mr. Bass, your father was very explicit on the fact that you should—"

"Bart is holed up in meetings all afternoon," Chuck interrupted. "He won't know about my little break. My uhhh…brother-in-law…is having a rough time right now. He needs a shoulder to cry on." Chuck leaned in closer and put a faux-sympathetic grimace on his face. "His wife might be straying. I just want to comfort him."

It was clear that Linda had been around for some time, because she didn't look terribly convinced. "You and Mr. Humphrey have never gotten along, sir—"

"Oh, trust me, Linda. Sometimes difficult circumstances can bring unlikely people together," Chuck attempted to assuage her, trying to keep the thick irony out of his tone. "I'll see you later."

He left the sputtering secretary at the desk and returned to Dan, who was shaking his head. "You're such a jerk."

Chuck shrugged as they stepped into the elevator together. "Your opinion means less than nothing to me. But thanks."

"I don't even want you coming with me."

"Again, don't care."

######################################################################

After two hours at the bar, only one thing was new to Chuck (and not even all that shocking): Humphrey couldn't hold his liquor.

"And she's beautiful, you know? But I never feel like I completely have her….and Carter. Carter has taken her away before and now he's back and he _sees_ her just like I do. And if he wants her…I don't know if I'll be able to hold onto her." Dan choked on his drink as laughter came up unwillingly and Chuck had to cringe. "Maybe I wasn't ever able to hold on to her and she could let go at any time." The guy rambled, and Chuck hated people who rambled. "Do you know what I mean?"

"Yes, go on, Humphrey. This is all _terribly_ interesting," Chuck responded, staring intently into the amber liquid of his tumbler. He was only being half sarcastic; the mindless chatter was serving to keep him a little more level-headed, and that was at least, a relief. It kept Blair's words from last night from echoing quite so fiercely in his head.

He hadn't thought about what she had said to him all morning, but now it was beginning to bother him. How she knew…suspected something. He knew how logical Blair was, and yet she only looked at him and knew the paradox that he was. It baffled him the same way it did her—trying to figure out which parts of him were Other Chuck…and which parts weren't…if this was who he could be ten years from now, or if he never had hope of being this man.

_"You are and you aren't…"_ That was what she said to him.

What the hell was he? He didn't even know.

Dan slammed his beer down a little too hard, prompting looks from some of the patrons sitting near them. "So why did you need a drink so badly anyway? I thought 'Chuck Bass' took what he wanted?" Alcohol seemed to give Humphrey a little more bite than usual; he was sounding less like the do-gooder who crashed Bart's brunch with Serena.

Chuck scoffed, but never looked up at the man next to him. "You just want someone to be as miserable as you, Humphrey."

"Touchy. Something _is_ up your ass. And you're also screwed in the head, otherwise you wouldn't have offered to come with me."

"You accepted."

"Free drinks."

"Yeah, just keep wallowing in them."

Chuck tried his best to ignore Dan's scrutiny, which was way sharper than it should have been. "I'm not sure if I'm the only one wallowing…"

"If you're expecting me to wax poetic about my life as a scorned lover, you're out of your mind," Chuck said directly. "Although, I'm not sure that I could even call what you were saying 'poetic.' I never realized how commonplace your infatuation with Serena was until today. Tell me, Humphrey, are you just attracted to shiny things?"

"What are you talking about?" Dan slurred angrily, taking another generous sip of his drink.

"I mean, hearing you go on like that…what the fuck are you really losing if she _is_ cheating?" Chuck shook his head. "So…Serena's beautiful, apparently…everything about her and your obsession with her is completely obvious! I thought writers were supposed to see the more complicated…the more _vexing_." The last word was said through gritted teeth as Chuck let the glass play along his lips, not quite taking a sip.

Dan choked on his drink. "Vexing? We could _only_ be talking about Blair Waldorf…Bass…your last name sucks, you know."

"So does your taste in women," Chuck retorted. "I'm just saying that it's sad that a _writer_ is no connoisseur of beauty," he gestured to the beer, "but I guess that shouldn't surprise me."

"Or maybe you're too blind to see beyond Serena's beauty…" Dan trailed off. "There's a lot more to her…I thought…I thought that we'd have the rest of our lives. I thought that."

"You're an idiot," Chuck returned, bored. He was beginning to feel hot and light; he must have had more to drink than he thought. "Life isn't a fantasy, you have to live in it. And the truth," Chuck paused, leaning back in his seat and rubbing his face. "The truth is that you're wife will never truly be yours and mine can't be…or isn't…or whatever the fuck this is."

Dan wiped the blank look off his face after a moment and glanced sideways at Chuck. "Was I suppose to…" he frowned, trying to think of the word he wanted, "decipher what that meant?"

"No."

But unfortunately, Dan turned quickly on his stool, almost falling over in the process, to look at Chuck, who didn't bother to throw out a steadying hand, though he doubted he'd be much use anyway. "The first part I get, but then…what do you mean about…about you and Blair? Come on."

From the corner of his eye, Chuck drank in the avid expression on Humphrey's face and a defensive impulse rose up in him. "You look too interested to be innocent, Brooklyn. What's your game?"

"This might surprise you, _Charles_," Dan said heavily, blinking a few times. "But not everyone thinks of life as large, twisted Monopoly."

"Which is why I'm rich and they aren't," Chuck smirked, but there was no joy in it. "It's just curious that you concern yourself with me when you just found out that your wife has been meeting the original Satan of the Upper East Side in hotel rooms."

Dan shrugged. "I'm numb to it now…which was the whole idea. I don't have to think about her if I don't want to. I can concentrate on you."

"If that makes you feel better, then you're a freak."

"You don't even know why I care."

"Why?" Chuck demanded shrewdly, finally looking the other man fully in the face. His eyes were dark and swimming…not as piercing as they could have been— the question was asked so vehemently.

"It's just…" Dan began uncertainly, almost blushing. "Alright! It's just that you two…would be…"

"Would be what?" Chuck hissed, his drink now forgotten.

"You're good material."

"What in _blazing hell_ does that mean?"

"It means that…that there may have been times when…I've considered…you would make a good book." Once Dan got that part out, he seemed to relax a little. "You and her…what you have, it's fascinating….kinda."

Chuck blanched, clearly never considering that the conversation would take such a turn. At first, his impulse was to threaten Humphrey within an inch of his life. Nothing about he or Blair would ever reach print, Chuck had to make sure of that whether Blair was his Blair or he was her Chuck. It didn't matter. It never did.

"Tell me."

But then there was something else: the very reality of the situation. He didn't know a thing about this _love_. The love that Humphrey had taken such note of that he actually wanted to write about it.

"'Scuse me?" Dan asked, bewildered. Apparently, he had thought that Chuck was going to inflict his hostility on him as well.

"Tell me," Chuck repeated quietly. Because he had spent the last two days as a part of something that he knew nothing about. Because he could _feel _it and he didn't understand it. Blair—looking at him with contentment that he didn't believe he could provide anyone… and their basic, hungry chemistry that consumed anything in its path. He wanted to _know_ about that. He wanted Dan to tell him what he saw.

"Like you _told me _about what's been going on with Carter?"

"Believe it or not, I told you everything I know! So you tell me why. Why would we make such a good story, Dan? What is it about us? The best and the worst thing you can think of. Tell me about that."

Dan shook his head, acquiescing under the thread of pleading that he heard in Chuck's voice. He put his drink down and stared at the bar, pensively.

"It's just amazing how you even make it work…"

"Try telling me something I don't know," Chuck muttered.

"You are two of the most manipulative, deceitful, messed-up people that I know. You take pleasure out of other people's misery. You're self-righteous and stuck-up simply because you were born into rich families." Dan looked at Chuck. "I didn't think that you would be capable of loving someone…that you were even wired for it, like us normal humans. And Blair…Blair Waldorf…not her, either. Not _real _love."

"Have you even seen her with Liliana?" Chuck asked, feeling angry again. "You don't know anything about her obviously."

"You're not letting me finish. I always thought that Blair was some control freak who wanted to play out her fantasies or something…but then I started…I don't know, seeing you two together and I realized…that I was wrong."

"What, love?" Chuck asked sarcastically. "Do we love each other?" He couldn't help but mock it, because even making it a real option for himself would force him to look at some things he didn't care to see. Not right then. Not love.

"I guess only you and Blair could answer that. But what else would you call it? There really is no clean-cut way to love someone, is there? Your brand is just particularly horrible and complicated, I guess. I think that even when you hurt her, you do it out of some weird, loving impulse that only a Bass would understand…although, what would I know? At least you're positive that Blair's _faithful_ to you."

"Yeah," Chuck said slowly. "Yeah, I'm sure about that."

Dan rose unsteadily on his feet, finishing up the last of his final beer. "I think I'm going to stay at my dad's. I can't see her…talk to her tonight."

"You still don't know anything," Chuck reminded him.

"If I did know something, do you think I'd be wasting time talking to her? I'll see her tomorrow." Dan began to pull money out of his wallet before remembering that the drinks were free. But then he wavered there, Chuck watching him.

"It's funny. I always thought that Serena and I—that our relationship _had_ to be stronger than yours. That it was closer to what love is supposed to be like. But maybe you and Blair are just a lot less pretense." He tucked his wallet back into his pocket. "No pretenses. I needed that." Chuck stared as Dan turned his back on him. "I'm grabbing a cab."

When Dan was gone, Chuck felt the throbbing of his head begin again. The thought of going home was agonizing. He couldn't compete with what this life; he didn't have the energy. And oh, the irony…no pretenses.

"I need that, too," Chuck whispered.

########################################################################

Liliana's perfect little nose crinkled when she met Chuck at the door. "Daddy, you smell _terrible_! Like your juice! Like when you and Mommy come back from your parties, 'cept they're at night. Did you pour your juice on yourself?"

"Not wet, am I?"

"You dried."

Chuck put her down, and for once, she didn't look unhappy to be out of his arms, waving her hand in front of her nose. "Mommy doesn't like your juice, Daddy. She _really _doesn't like it when you smell like it," the child warned.

Chuck patted her head. "Mommy only pretends she doesn't like my juice."

Liliana looked at him warily. "You say so, Daddy."

"I do." Chuck smiled at her. She was just too cute. "Do you have a pony? I could get you a pony…I think little girls have some weird preoccupation with ponies."

"Chuck, shut up," Blair ordered just when Lili's face began to brighten, as she joined him and her daughter in the foyer. When she got close enough, she too, looked disgusted. "You smell like a distillery! You did go to _work_, didn't you?"

"Do I really get a pony?" Lili asked, looking eagerly between her parents.

Blair gave Chuck a stern look before fixing her gaze on the little girl. "We've discussed this. Two more years, darling, and that's it."

"That's forever," Liliana moaned.

"That's an exaggeration."

"What's a 'zaggeration?" she asked.

"Something you've made quite a habit of," Blair reprimanded, but her eyes were searching Chuck's form. "We'll talk about this later, darling. I want you to go find Dorota. You need to get ready for dinner."

"Did Daddy say I could get a pony because he smells funny?"

"Liliana!" Blair exclaimed, as Chuck was unable to suppress his laughter. "Go find Dorota! This isn't a request."

The child huffed, but did as she was told. Then Blair turned on him, her eyes cold. "What the hell was that?"

Chuck gave her a half-smile and shrugged. "She's just really adorable. She would look really cute on top of a pony."

There was a short second in which Chuck believed that Blair was going to laugh, but she quickly composed herself and was stone-faced a moment later. "And you're slightly drunk."

"Yeah…I ran into Humphrey…" On the way home, Chuck realized that Blair wouldn't be angry with him if he blamed the whole thing on Dan. And anything that could take the heat off of him was a good thing. Blair, predictably, froze, her eyes widening.

"You—you went drinking with Dan?"

Chuck raised his eyebrows. "Don't make it sound like it was a night on the fucking town! I was trying to keep him from doing anything stupid."

Blair frowned impatiently. "Take it from the top, please. When did you even run into Dan?"

"He charged into my office, demanding to know everything that I had gathered on Baizen. I told him that I had nothing and he didn't believe me. He knows that Serena's been meeting Carter at various hotels—"

"Oh god," Blair moaned. One of her hands clenched her skirt angrily. "I _told_ Serena—I _knew_ this would happen!"

This was the closest they had gotten to talking about the Carter business and Chuck was getting excited. Scheming was what he and Blair did best, and Chuck wanted to be in his element with her. He wanted to do _one_ thing that was familiar. "Dan thinks that Serena is cheating on him."

"Of course he does," Blair murmured, hugging herself.

"Don't you think that she is?" Chuck asked her.

"She _says_ she isn't."

"And you believe that?"

Blair didn't answer, but finally met his gaze. "We can't talk about this yet. Bart called, and considering your current state, I'd say that I know why he sounded angry."

Chuck got a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach—the old feeling that he used to get when his father would look at him and tell him he was a disappointment. He should have gone back to work; despite the fact that he apparently smelled, he hadn't been all that drunk afterward. He couldn't imagine what Bart was going to say to him.

"I'm going to call him back," Chuck said.

Blair nodded weakly. "You'd better. But after…" He recognized the look that came over her face immediately, it was her bitch-smirk and it left him feeling tingly. "You tell me the whole story with Dan. We talk about Serena and Carter…and we _do_ something about the bastard."

Chuck couldn't help but return the smirk, even in light of having to call his father. "My pleasure, Queen B."

A/N: This was a long one, but I know, I know, very little in the C/B department… the next one will be heavy, promise. This one was necessary for Chuck to get an outsider's perspective of his supposed relationship with Blair and to spur on the C/B scheming: doing what they do best! Review :) it inspires and therefore makes the updates come quicker!


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: Don't own.

A/N: Not much to say, just here it is! I hope you enjoy it and thanks to ALL of my reviewers, especially the ones that contribute regularly. You guys have no idea what it means to me and I appreciate you all to no end! So, this is for you.

"Dad, you're not letting me tell you _why_ I was—"

"I don't have time for excuses, Chuck. Frankly, I don't know what the hell has gotten into you these past couple of days. Do you even give a damn about the fact that we have two deals that have almost completely fallen through because you've been late with the paperwork. I told you that we don't have time for your personal problems getting in the way of—"

"It's not Blair, alright? I was out with Dan Humphrey, because he thinks—" Chuck interrupted indignantly. It always proved to be more convincing when one believed themselves to be the injured party.

"He thinks that Serena is having an affair with Mr. Baizen," Bart put in smoothly, not seeming in the least concerned about his stepdaughter's supposed infidelity. "I assumed that your _wife_ would put a lid on that one as soon as possible."

"Assuming that Serena is doing anything…" Chuck thought aloud. This provoked a snort from Bart. "Wait, how did you even know—"

"I've got men that are doing the same things that yours are doing. Don't pretend you aren't aware of this. But this is all beside the point. You don't have the _time_ to be thinking about whether to give your sister the benefit of the doubt. Whatever you have cooked up, drop it and, if you must, let Blair handle it." He cleared his throat. "I'm sure she's more…equipped to deal with Mr. Baizen, in any case."

Chuck knew that tone of voice that Bart was employing, and he didn't know what his father meant by those words or the hint of slight sarcasm in them, but he could tell that Bart was trying to be deliberately cruel and he wasn't sure why. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"It means…let Serena sink or swim on her own. You have a position to consider," there was a distinct warning in those words, "and I doubt that you'll want Blair dealing with this on her own."

"What do you…" Chuck trailed off, not sure what to ask, but frantically trying to find the question. Bart knew things, that much was definite. Bart knew things and Chuck _needed _to know things. Then it struck him. "You have files…on _all_ of us…"

"I didn't call to have my time wasted with the obvious," Bart said in a bored voice. "Drop your vendetta with Carter Baizen if you can't take on both him and your day job, or you'll find that it costs more than you're willing to lose, Chuck."

The click on the other end told Chuck that his father had swiftly hung up on him and he sighed. He would _not_ be giving up the business with Carter, because it was the only way to even things out with Blair, and he had little choice but to do so. Serena herself was of no great concern to him, really. The worst that could come of this was her leaving Dan, and he would do nothing but applaud her for it. And who was he to stand in the way of Serena's actions? Chuck didn't fancy himself a hypocrite.

Blair appeared at the door, taking in Chuck's slightly slumped posture, and a flicker of emotion passed through her face. Chuck couldn't name it, but then she smiled at him rather haughtily and there was no trace of the softness he had seen. "Done taking calls?"

"Depends," Chuck said, spreading out on their bed. "Do I have to call you to get time?"

"Why would you think something like that?"

"Oh, I don't know…" Chuck answered, staring up at the ceiling. "Yesterday, 'Evan' seemed to grab your attention pretty fast with one simple phone call. And here I thought we were engaged in something much more enjoyable."

He felt the bed dip and then Blair was beside him, drifting a finger down his cheek. "Green isn't your color, Bass," she told him softly. "But if I constantly lost my head over you and your _talents_, I would be out of a job."

"Oh, I'd hire you," he smirked.

"You don't want to hire me."

"Why not?"

Blair turned and joined him on her back, staring upwards with him. "Bart has that 'no sexual harassment' policy…"

Chuck laughed at her easy wit. Making him laugh was one thing she had never seemed to have trouble doing, and he wasn't easy to please in that respect.

"What did he say?" The question startled him out of his reverie, but when he looked down at her, her eyes were gentle and inquiring. It made him feel oddly warm. He cleared his throat.

"He was furious…told me that if I couldn't juggle everything, then I'd better stick to my day job."

"Are you going to take his advice?" He could see that it was a serious question, and that she would willingly fix this for Serena on her own, but he wasn't about to let her do that. Something about Bart's unsubtle remark left him uneasy. He was afraid that Carter had some kind of power over Blair that he didn't know about. Even though she had seemed like nothing but a devoted mother and loyal wife, he wasn't about to take the chance with her. He had to remember that it wasn't _his_ life he was living right now. And Blair was not a lamb up for the slaughter. Blair meant a lot to Other Chuck… that was clear, and Chuck didn't have the luxury of knowing exactly what happened with Carter and Blair during their senior year of high school. All he knew was that it was something that had really upset Other Chuck. So Blair couldn't do this alone.

"Do I ever?" he finally said.

"You know, I can handle Carter myself…I don't want your father to have an excuse to be pissed off at you."

"Tough luck, Waldorf. We're going to clean up this mess together." Chuck paused, as a thought suddenly occurred to him. "Where's the kid?"

Blair rolled her eyes and turned into Chuck affectionately, speaking into his neck. He winced when he felt her lips in the crook by his collarbone, but he settled almost immediately. He was getting more used to this…more used to _her_. "Asleep. I wasn't going to wait until after you got off the phone to put her to bed."

"She didn't throw a fit?" Chuck was envisioning quite a temper tantrum in his mind's eye. Liliana seemed to be very comfortable with having _both_ of her parents available for bedtime, and she wasn't a child that was used to being denied.

"Of course she did. She's _your_ child," Blair teased. "But she can't always get what she wants."

"My child," Chuck repeated. "I'm pretty sure that the demanding princess within is all Waldorf genes, baby. Let us not forget the time I wouldn't give you the green crayon when we were six. You stomped on every last Crayola I possessed."

"I don't remember that," Blair said vehemently. "What I _do_ remember is asking politely to have your crayon for a moment, and you refusing to give it to me despite the fact that you weren't even using it. I suppose you expect me to answer your selfish behavior by humoring you?"

Chuck rolled his eyes. "I was six. I probably thought you had cooties." Though, he was pretty sure that there was never a time when he thought Blair Waldorf had cooties. He had never been repulsed by her, feigned or otherwise…and something small creeping into his head wondered why that was, especially when he felt free to think of the world as beneath him. Why hadn't that ever applied to her?

She was against him, soft and sure and contented. Even though their relationship had been rocky at best ever since he had gotten here, she was still curled up into him. He couldn't understand why.

"I thought you were mad at me…" he muttered, even as his arm went around her waist to pull her closer. This was beginning to get ridiculous; this…cuddling with her. Part of him was begging her to slip away from him because that other half of him—the part that was reckless and didn't care that he was simply torturing himself in the long run, was unbelievably at peace with her so close. Nate. Blair. Serena…they were all names just running together now. He didn't know where they existed, where _he_ existed. He just wanted the answers before he set himself up for a lot of pain. "I thought you wanted answers…"

Blair sat up so she was looking down at him, her curls falling down over her shoulder to just lightly caress his chest. Suddenly the air was charged with her every slight movement. She cocked her head to the side with a small smile that made him want to tear her from above him and plunge into her like his very life depended on it. "…maybe I do. But I still _do_ what I want."

"And what do you want?" he asked hoarsely as she dipped her head and her lips met his. He didn't need the words, then. She was eloquent enough without them. Her body on his, just the feel of her skin was more erotic than anything else. Before he knew what he was doing, he was desperately ripping at her clothes, needing to feel her more.

Their kisses were hurried and furious and Chuck realized that he was a fool for thinking that he could put this off. He got the impression that the Blair and Chuck of this world weren't used to delayed gratification in any sense of the word. This had been put off for too long, they were too heated, too absorbed in each other to deny it any longer.

Her hands were grasping the sides of his face and he sat up so she was straddling his lap, her shirt torn half-off of her, strips of lace and silk revealed underneath. He kissed her hard as the cloth slipped further down her shoulder. "You're _so_ good," he breathed over her lips.

"Is that news to you, Bass?" she smirked, moving against him, prompting him to grit his teeth and pray for control, or things would get ridiculously embarrassing. "I thought you knew me better than that."

He assaulted her throat and the tops of her breasts, tearing away at the rest of the material impeding him. He _had_ to touch her. He _had _to make her his…even if she technically wasn't. Even if he had to break any and all rules, and he was being incredibly unfair to Blair and himself. He had to make love to her.

"Relax…" Blair said softly, suddenly moving back and pressing him back down with one hand. "What's the rush?"

The colloquial question made him laugh softly even as he began sweating. She was going to torture him. "It's been a lifetime," he moaned.

Something glinted in her eyes as she undid the buttons of his shirt at an agonizingly slow pace. "It's been two days," she reminded him.

He reached for her skirt heatedly. "You _really _don't know what you're saying," he answered cheekily, but she batted him away again.

"Ah-ah, wait…we're going to talk first." The coyness in her voice made his body boil.

"I prefer to talk after," he growled, but he stilled as her hand tickled down his chest and stomach until it went under her in dangerous territory.

"No," Blair dictated. "First, we decide how to do away with the ever-so-base Mr. Baizen, then we'll…reward ourselves for our own brilliance…come on, _Chuck_."

She bit off the tail-end of his name harshly and all he could think of was how badly he wanted to fuck her senseless. "Tell me about Carter," Chuck demanded, playing into her game. He grasped her beautiful shoulders and flipped them so he was on top, licking her from the side of her neck to her ear, nipping at her lobe. She tasted so sweet.

Her breathing was deep as she closed her eyes and tilted her head back in pleasure. "Blair," he warned when she didn't answer, wanting her to tell him what she knew as quickly as possible. "Tell me…about Carter." His hand drifted under her skirt with practice he had never had.

"Serena…" she uttered throatily as she clenched her teeth with his touch. "Serena's been meeting with him—_mmm—_at different hotels every week…_oh God!_"

"And?" He already knew this, from Dan. And there was no doubt that the various locations were to promote secrecy.

"And I heard her—" she groaned. "Chuck, please!"

He left a hot, open-mouthed kiss on her lips, and she all-too-willingly invited him entrance, twining her tongue with his and squirming under his hand. "Keep going, sweetheart," he pushed.

"She was on the phone…_oh, can you stop_?" Her frustration was palpable and he was fully pleased with her predicament, having turned the tables on her masterfully. "She took the call from Carter and mentioned a 'him.'"

He moved off of her slightly so he could pull her skirt off and she took that moment to push his shirt over his shoulders, letting it fall to the floor. "Whose 'him'?"

"If I knew, I wouldn't be bothering to explain about the phone call," Blair snarled, for Chuck had resumed his ministrations and it was harder to think. "It's blackmail."

"My favorite," Chuck grinned against her cheek, pressing his mouth to her ear. "Do you want me to stop?"

"N-no," though she told him the truth, she clearly hated herself for it.

"Are you sure?" She answered with a suppressed scream and he continued their conversation with the joy of besting her at her own seduction. "What kind of blackmail? A person?"

"_Enough of this_," Blair bit out, pushing him to the side with all of her force and recapturing her position over him. "The call was from Carter and she clearly said, 'you found him?'. She was stunned as far as I could tell, and after that, she was meeting him and putting up with his every demand. Dan got suspicious and she covered by lying." All the while she spoke, Blair was taking a hold of him with her movements, her hips working through their clothing (though Blair was wearing little) and he was gasping at her mercy while she smirked in triumph.

"What if she's just taking him to bed?" Chuck questioned, barely able to retain what he heard, let alone process it. Her movements quickened.

"I trust Serena," Blair said pointedly, though she too was clearly close to the edge. "She's not having an affair. It's…_oh_…it's blackmail. Carter has something on her."

"Yes, _Blair_…maybe even _blackmailing_ her into having an affair. Serena's not like you, she doesn't have those scruples."

He realized that he had said the wrong thing when Blair stopped suddenly and looked at him, unblinkingly. The air became heavier around them. "I wouldn't, would I?"

Too late, he knew what he had said. He had reminded her of all the uncertainties surrounding who he was. Something was different, and maybe Blair would become sure of it once they lost themselves in each other. Maybe it all felt familiar to her and yet, foreign at the same time…the way it was strangely feeling to him. But he would die if she stopped now and she would do exactly that if it felt wrong to her. He hoped it didn't.

She was gazing at him sharply, their breathlessness dissipating as they stared at one another. Chuck couldn't read her face. She was waiting for him to say something and he was sweating desperately at the loss of her. "Chuck," she said softly, "I wouldn't have an affair."

"I know," he said imploringly, his voice barely reaching above a whisper. "I mean, at least, as far as I know." He tried to make it sound as detached as possible, but he was finding it increasingly difficult with her fully sitting against him in nothing but her underwear. He knew that his words were supposed to reassure her, and that right now she doubted whether she was even truly aware of whom she was with. But he couldn't let her get away now. Yes, he wanted her to an unbearable degree…but there was something deeper to this, and he had known it from the moment she had whispered into his neck. He was deathly close to lying right to her face simply to have her. Only the barest sense of respect was keeping him from doing that. Blair and Nate and Serena still existed for him; he still owed them something…his honesty, maybe.

Blair seemed to take their discussion back to mind once he had spoken. His vague reassurance was enough, for now. "Carter is using someone to get to Serena. What he's doing it _for_ remains to be seen."

"Right," Chuck scoffed.

"Whatever doubts you have about her…keep them to yourself. I just want the wannabe-Bohemian out of town before he destroys Serena's marriage."

"Is that the only reason?" Chuck couldn't help but ask. The idea of Blair and Carter left him with a dark, ugly presence in the forefront of his mind that he had never experienced before. He might as well try and get the truth.

But Blair's face became like stone once she realized what he was insinuating and she slid off of him and watched him with clouded eyes. "You can't be serious…"

Chuck sat up as well, his eyes innocent, though Blair would probably consider them more deceptive than innocent. "I don't know whether I'm serious or not. I want you to tell me."

"Tell you," she scoffed as he stood in front of her. "That's all you've said all night: tell you. And why should I, exactly, when you've given me nothing? When you haven't even answered _my_ questions?"

"I can't give you what I don't have." Another honest excuse that would come to absolutely nothing. Blair kept forcing them into a conversation that they didn't know how to have. She expected that he would know what was wrong with him when the truth was he had no idea and couldn't even convey _that_ to her. Everything was being spoken in half-measures, and he was tired of having an impossible talk with her. "Whatever it is…whatever we're talking about right now, I'm giving you the best that I can!"

"How can I believe that?" she asked. "Last night…and now, you _know_ what I'm talking about. I can tell that you understand me, and yet you keep telling me that you know nothing. And you expect me to help you. And, for what? What do you need from me, Chuck?"

"Everything!" he hissed, getting in her face again. "You and Carter…what happened? I don't really care if you don't know why I'm asking you this now, I just need to know!"

"You already know!" Blair laughed in his face, but he could see that she was furious. "That's the real paradox, isn't it? You already know!"

"What did you do? What happened senior year of high school? Between you and Carter?" Chuck asked again and Blair took a step back at the passion in his voice. "Answer me."

He didn't know why she decided to do as he ordered, but she looked confused by herself as she spoke. "Nothing important. And that, I can promise you."

"I need more than that." He was grasping her arms, almost shaking her. There was a heaviness in his chest that was filling him and he didn't know where it stemmed from, but he knew that it had everything to do with _her_.

She didn't even flinch, but leveled him with a righteous glare. "Too bad, because that's all you're getting." She wrenched out of his grip. "I've already made the losing trade."

He knew that she was right. And when she turned her back on him, he cursed himself for being an asshole to her, but couldn't stop the way his mind ran. Images of Blair with Carter were provoking him into this anger that she didn't deserve and couldn't comprehend. But at the very least, now he was pretty sure that Carter held little fascination with her.

And he didn't think that she slept with him.

He knew Blair well enough to know that sex was not something that she took lightly. He used to take time out of his day to openly mock her fairytale outlook on losing her virginity, and offered several times to let her "rehearse for the real thing with Nathaniel" if she were ever interested. He had seen her lip curl in disgust thousands of times. Blair definitely hadn't known Carter long enough or intimately enough to actually sleep with him…she wouldn't. No matter how many times Bart's words rang in his head.

He stared at her pale back with a resigned look on his face, drinking in her beauty despite feeling like a fool for doing so. He was already painfully unsatisfied from getting left off in the drama of the moment and this was not doing much to help stave off his desire. "I'm sorry."

She turned back to face him and gave him a sad smile. "What for, Chuck?"

He shrugged. "I told you before…that I trusted you. That was true. And it hasn't changed."

Blair shook her head. "Don't tell me what _hasn't_ changed. Tell me what has."

But it couldn't be that easy for them, and Chuck could dodge the demand with the uncommon skill that only he possessed. "Definitely not the fact that I can see you standing there in these scraps of silk and want to fuck you until you can no longer breathe. That certainly hasn't changed." He was predatory again, reverting to something that he knew how to do again. She stilled like a frightened deer, but didn't move away from him. "Come to me."

"It won't help, Chuck," she said as he stroked her hair back from her face, looking almost afraid of him, of the power that he had over her.

"At the moment, I'm not trying to help." His lips descended on hers again and she met them with equal fervor. They were best when they weren't talking.

Chuck wanted to know the important things.

He wanted to know every inch of her.

"Ms. Blair." A tap at the door had them breaking apart and Chuck contemplated murdering Dorota. "Ms. Serena here for you."

"Of course!" Chuck raged as Blair went for her robe. "You'd better get rid of her before I go out there and kill her!"

Blair sent him a brief, apologetic look. "Do you think I'm happy about this either? She probably found out that Dan is staying with his father…it will be the perfect time to see if I can find out when she's meeting Carter next…or find out what he's got hanging over her head."

"Carter can't blackmail a dead person," Chuck reasoned vindictively. "I'm serious, if you can't get her out of here in five minutes, that's it for your shiny-haired, well-endowed BFF."

Blair crossed the room and kissed him once more, but not nearly satisfying enough. "I have to be there for her, Chuck."

"Whatever."

"Trying using your head, please…the one more to the north. And stay in the room for God's sake!"

He didn't respond and the door clicked behind her, leaving him alone and incensed. "Who the fuck does Serena think she is?" he muttered. "Cock-blocking _Chuck Bass_?"

No, he decided. He was not going to sit in here and wait for Blair to return hours later once a tearful Serena made her way home…if she ever did. He was going to torment the dumb blonde as much as she was tormenting him.

A/N: Really, just one _long_ scene this time, but as promised, it was full of C/B, and I hope you enjoyed it! And yeah, these two just can't get a break, but that's the way the cookie crumbles…don't worry, they will get their reward in the future :). Still, I hope this scene wasn't so bad in getting in some sexy-time :). Please review and tell me what you thought! Reviews are the best!


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: Don't own.

A/N: School has yet to begin kicking my ass (though it most definitely will be doing so soon), and I was able to get this out quickly. I hope you like it! Thanks to all of my wonderful reviewers, I love hearing from you and YOU are the reason this came out so fast. Kudos!

"Sis…" Chuck drawled as he entered the sitting room. "So nice of you to join us." When he had donned his shirt again, he purposely left it hanging open and his hair rumpled so the blonde couldn't mistake what she had been interrupting. Both Serena and Blair looked up at his entrance, the latter giving him a warning look and the former…he couldn't really tell. Serena's face was too puffed-up. And her eyes were red and swollen.

Serena was a ghastly crier.

"Chuck, what do you want?" Blair asked, her hands clenched on her robe. Chuck could tell from her tension that she was pissed off that he had come out of their bedroom.

"Just wanted to see who would drop by for a visit at this hour." He let out a leisurely sigh as he dropped down next to them on the couch. "Hello, Serena."

Serena shook her head, brushing the make-up from under her eyes. "Not now, Chuck. I'm not in the mood."

"Well, I _was_ in the mood, thanks."

"Chuck!" Blair said swiftly, elbowing him in the stomach. "Shut up."

Chuck rubbed his gut and glared at Blair. "I just came in here to see what was wrong, but I guess concern and sympathy isn't wanted?"

"I'm serious, Chuck. Knock it off," Blair jumped to Serena's defense once more. Chuck had expected Serena to snap at him, but she said nothing, only looked down at her hands with a devastated expression on her face. He was more inclined to feel sorry for her in the face of her silence, knowing that Serena was rarely upset enough to take him down a peg or two, and Blair looked visibly more concerned too as she shot a sideways glance at her best friend.

"Alright, alright…" he replied, frowning at the disheveled blonde. "You look terrible."

Blair now slapped Chuck…hard, but Serena let out a harsh little laugh. "Don't hit him, B. He's right, isn't he? The last time I felt like this was the night I told you I killed someone."

"You did _what_, van der Woodsen?" Chuck blurted, unable to imagine Serena the murderer. Apparently, both women thought he was being sarcastic, because they exchanged looks of disgust before Blair quickly amended. "You really didn't kill anyone, honey…you made it out to be a lot worse than it was."

"So she _thought_ she killed someone?" Chuck said incredulously, baffled by the ludicrous story. So the Serena of this universe wasn't a cold-blooded killer. Just incredibly stupid.

"Chuck, shut _up_!" Blair shouted, now completely fed-up. "Get out of here, will you?"

Chuck opened his mouth to respond indignantly, but slow, padding footsteps interrupted his thought. "Mommy…why are you yelling?"

All three pairs of eyes were drawn to the top of the stairs, where Liliana was standing, clutching Mikey the Rottweiler.

Blair stood quickly, looking up at her daughter. "Sweetheart, you are supposed to be asleep!"

Lili hesitantly took two steps down the stairs when her mother spoke. "I know. I heard the yelling and I couldn't sleep, Mommy." The little girl's large, brown eyes found Serena's and they lit up. "And Aunt S is here and she promised she'd come visit!"

Blair glanced at Chuck, who was buttoning and tucking in his shirt. He felt strange looking so sexed-up in front of the kid. "Get her back to bed…" Blair had a strained smile on her face, clearly hoping that the little girl would be back up the stairs before she recognized the tension in the room, which would have to happen fast. Blair knew her child well.

But Chuck didn't move immediately, wanting to remain downstairs to hear Serena's plight. And Lili took that time to observe the inhabitants of the sitting room until her little brow furrowed. "Aunt S…why are you crying?"

Serena shook her head hurriedly, her expression melting in the face of her innocent niece. "Oh no, baby! I'm not crying, I was just…outside in the cold for too long. It made me a little sick, okay?"

"Chuck," Blair hissed. "Please."

He didn't seem to have a choice. Chuck walked past the two women towards Liliana, now at the base of the staircase, looking very unhappy as she sensed the mood around her. "Let's go, kiddo."

The child looked up at him before taking his hand solemnly, not to be taken for a fool by his falsely bright demeanor. They headed back to the second floor, Blair's voice fading slowly away as she tried to make light of the situation. "Don't mind Chuck. He's a bit sexually frustrated at the moment…" They never even got to hear Serena's certain noise of disgust.

But the last words they heard caused Chuck to groan internally, recalling the mishap from yesterday with Bart. And a moment later, Liliana tugged on his hand. "Daddy, I thought that Mommy was the one who had…sexul fustation?"

Anxiously, Chuck shushed her and pulled her up into his arms. He couldn't decide whether to be relieved that the topic had taken her mind off of Serena, or pissed that the words 'sexual frustration' had come up again. "Hey, that one is our little secret, okay? Please don't tell your mother anything about those words…in fact, don't say them again until you're, say…thirty. Okay, Princess?"

"Mommy says not to keep secrets from people until there's something in it for me. What will you get me, Daddy?" He was faced with a set of small, pearl teeth as she smiled charmingly.

Chuck rolled his eyes at the responsible lesson that Blair had imparted to her daughter. "Good lord. Well, that is the Waldorf way, isn't it? Are you telling me that I have to _buy_ my own flesh and blood's silence?"

At the word 'blood,' Lili bounced in horror, her little leg kicking his hip as Chuck carried her down the hall and found her bedroom again. "No, no Daddy! I don't want something nasty! I want new shoes, not icky blood!"

Chuck laughed at her misunderstanding. "No, it's an expression. Look, I'll take you shopping tomorrow or the next day or something…and you can get whatever you want. Deal?"

He was now setting her in bed while she smirked, as if she knew a secret that he didn't. "Mommy also said that I'm allowed to keep secrets from everyone 'cept her."

This time, Chuck restrained himself from rolling his eyes. Blair had certainly left her mark on her pint-sized carbon copy. "Yeah, but…I'm your…" He paused, because he felt wrong saying it, but it was the only thing that he could think of. "I'm your Daddy. Doesn't that give me some credit?"

She sat atop her bed and folded her arms, the stuffed animal laying limp at her side. "I think so…" she said slowly. "I'll think about it, okay Daddy?"

"Sure. But remember, Chuck Bass doesn't lose deals. You have to know who your opposition is." The child was incessantly patting the bed beside her in an unspoken demand and so he grudgingly joined her, laying down next to her.

Liliana wrinkled her nose. "I hate when you say big words."

"Maybe that's because your little head is exhausted and you need to go to sleep."

"I don't want to. Can you read me a story?"

"Nope. You probably already got a story, right?"

Liliana sat up and looked at him, leaning over so she could put her hands on his chest to plead with him properly. "Yes, but _you_ didn't read it to me! 's not the same!"

"Why not?"

"Because it just isn't!"

Chuck peeled her little hands off his shirt and forced her to sit back. "Hey, just relax…you shouldn't get so worked up over a book, you know. It will lead to an anxiety disorder in the future. Or worse, you'll develop your mother's neurosis and spend the rest of your life overreacting. We wouldn't want that, would we?"

A blank expression settled over the little girl's face as she leaned against Chuck arm while settling back on her pillow. She appeared to be lost in thought. Chuck knew that she was going to ask him yet another question, so he sat with her.

"Aunt S didn't come to see me, did she?"

She was as determined and persistent as Blair, never to be put off the scent of something. Chuck wanted to smile. An intuitive kid deserved the truth.

"No, she didn't."

"Then why did she come here?" Lili asked, as if Serena's visit could not be for anything else. "And why was she crying? I know that it wasn't 'cause of the cold."

"You're a smart girl. Aunt Serena is just having a few problems that she has to deal with." He felt the slight weight of her head fall against his shoulder as she listened intently to him.

"Aunt Serena is always happy, though."

Chuck looked down at this child…the one that Other Chuck (who could, in some twisted way, be a version of himself) and Blair had created, and realized that she was protected. He hadn't given it a thought when they had gone up to check on her the night after the party, or when they tucked her in the night after that, or when she sat between them in the limo, chattering endlessly. He hadn't thought about how obviously loved this child was.

She could provoke a smile from Bart and a tenderness rarely seen in Blair. She was sheltered and coddled and it didn't even matter if it was overdone, because he was _glad _for it.

He was glad that she lived in a world where her Aunt Serena was always happy and not constantly facing the destruction of her own past. Where her parents where two people that loved her and each other irrefutably and she was not tainted by the walls, the vulnerability, and the defensiveness that came their childhoods. Blair was not Eleanor, and Chuck…Chuck wasn't his father.

And Liliana was living proof of that. He only had to look at the love shining in her eyes.

But that didn't come from him.

Chuck sighed and reminded himself that he was sixteen years old. He did drugs, he drank too much, he fucked whores. It wasn't time to question that. It was his life.

He had to find a way out, but he didn't know the first step to take. He was flying blind, he had been doing nothing but stumble through life since he got here. Expected to raise a child when he hadn't even been brought up right himself, and perform at a job he wasn't equipped to do properly. He was expected to _love_ when he wasn't capable of it.

He had to leave them because he wasn't capable of it.

An immediate panic rose up that he wanted to pretend wasn't there. And every motion of his past two days, every look of disappointment, and all of Blair's tearful gestures filled him.

"Everybody gets sad sometimes," he heard himself say to the child burrowed into his side. Her very presence was relaxing him, but he couldn't bring himself to look at her.

"I guess," she muttered. "But I think it was a serious sad."

"What's a 'serious sad'?"

"It's when something bad happens, Daddy. Like not when I just be sad because I don't get my pony or I can't wear the headband I want. It's other times. It's really bad," she shook her head, perturbed. "I don't want Aunt Serena to be that kind of sad."

His arm went around her of its own volition when she said that. He didn't know why, but it did, and it pulled her even nearer to him. "Your mommy and I are going to help Aunt Serena. I promise."

Her brown eyes widened adorably and she flung her arms around his neck, burying her face in his neck. Chuck took a moment to return the gesture, not quite believing that her spontaneous embrace was real. "You haven't made a promise in a _long_ time! And it's just what I wanted, Daddy!"

It was amazing to him how a kid got so overexcited about such a small thing…she didn't see the complication in his promise. She didn't doubt that this man (who, in her eyes, had been in her life from the moment she drew breath) would succeed. Never questioned whether he would come through for her.

He grasped her small frame tightly in a moment of weakness, knowing he should hold her so close when this could never last. Her heart beat like a hummingbird's, fast and strong. "I promise," he rasped.

She pulled back, but her arms still hung loosely around his neck and she studied his face closely like she was memorizing his features. "Can you stay, Daddy? Until I go to sleep?"

He had vowed not to be a sucker for the kid, but he was having a damn hard time fulfilling that when she let her lip out in a pout like that and her eyes welled with apprehension. Even if it was just an act. She was the fucking picture of Blair.

"Just this once, kid," he told her. He forced himself to sound unaffected as she let out a little squeal and sank into the covers.

"You always say that," she said triumphantly. And he berated himself (and Other Chuck) for being such a sap. He had reached new heights of pathetic and he couldn't have cared less. He was making her happy, and if he could do that, then maybe he could return to his real life with some glimmer of hope…humanity.

"Maybe you can make Aunt S happy at Grandpa Bart's tomorrow…" Lili said as she rested her head on her pillow, continuing to watch Chuck. "Maybe I can help, too."

"I think it's going to take a little longer than—" Chuck stopped. "Wait, what do you mean 'at Grandpa Bart's tomorrow'?"

She yawned. "At dinner, Daddy. You know, when we have dinner there on Wednesdays, and tomorrow's Wednesday."

"Thanks, Princess. You just gave me some pretty interesting information." He meant it. Chuck was considering the possibilities of dinner at Bart's. A peak into Bart's files, perhaps. Information on Carter (with the happy addition of one Blair Waldorf) would be useful, to say the least.

"What's so interesting 'bout it?" Liliana's eyes were beginning to droop and he wondered how she had begun to tire so quickly. Maybe she had just exhausted herself…or maybe she felt safe with him there. He decided not to entertain the idea anymore. Still, he was glad that she was drifting.

"Nothing, kid…nothing at all."

#################################################################

Chuck was awoken the next morning by a flashing and an extremely familiar clicking noise. He jerked up, throwing Liliana to one side.

"Daddy!"

He ignored the disgruntled child and looked around for the source of the disturbance. After a hurried glance around the room, he found it standing to one side. His supposed wife, with a digital camera in hand. "Good morning, Handsome."

"What the hell, Blair?" he complained, rubbing one eye and glaring up at her. "You almost killed the kid…and me."

She snorted. "Something tells me that you'll come through this the same man you always were, Chuck. Don't you fret." She sat down on the edge of the bed, open her arms to Lili. "The two of you were such a precious sight that I really couldn't resist."

"Wait a second, did I _sleep_ here?" His eyes darted towards the window, where a salmon haze was spreading across the sky in clear morning. "Why didn't you…I don't know, wake me up?"

Blair's smile faded slightly. "I was a bit distracted all night, Chuck. I didn't have time to hunt for you." She purposely avoided her daughter's curious gaze from her place in Blair's arms.

"Oh. Anything worth mentioning?" He now wished that he had made it downstairs again last night. He didn't think that Blair would withhold anything from him, but he wouldn't have minded playing around with his step-sister for a little bit. He was still unhappy that she had decided to come to their home uninvited so she could sob until she resembled a melted ice cream cone…right before Chuck was about to get sex for the first time in two days!

Blair hugged Liliana and kissed the top of her head. "Baby, can you please get dressed by yourself? Daddy and I are running a little late this morning."

Lili sighed as she scrambled out of her mother's grip and to her dresser. "You just want to have a grown-up discussion, Mommy. I can tell."

Blair got up, throwing a smile in her daughter's direction before pulling Chuck with her by the hand out of the child's bedroom. "What a clever girl I have."

When they were in the hallway, Blair released him with a resigned expression. "Serena is here."

"Why? Can't she cry herself to sleep just as well in her own bed?"

Blair glared at him. "She was distraught, Chuck. She had just found out that Dan left her, and why are you being so callous?"

"Because Serena has this minor problem where she simply neglects to remember anything or anyone that doesn't have something directly to do with herself. And it's been kind of an annoying quality of late, if you know what I mean."

Blair slumped against the wall and stared at him. "Is it _always_ about sex with you?"

"You know who you married, right?"

"Unfortunately," Blair teased.

"So, where is Serena?"

Blair blinked at the obviousness of the question. "…in the guest room."

"Did he _leave_ her?" Chuck knew that Blair would know what he was asking: how permanent Dan's abandonment was. Blair moved away from the wall and approached him, one eyebrow quirked up.

"Please. Humphrey would never leave her for good." As she got close to him, Chuck saw the faraway look in her eyes, coming on suddenly. "He couldn't. She's Serena."

He watched her, the way her eyes got a strange, wounded look and he knew. Serena would always be Serena. He knew why she said it, and he felt compelled to tell her the obvious…the truth. "I'm still here, aren't I?"

They hit their mark. Blair's eyes shot up to his and something wordless passed between them. It was the intensity of her expression, the certainty that she was communicating something to him. But then it was lost in translation and Chuck knew that if he had really been _him_, that he would have known exactly what it was.

Then, she nodded, running one hand down his very rumpled shirt. "You need to change, Bass."

Chuck nodded back at her. "Sure. And while I'm doing that, you can delete that picture you took." She was still holding the camera containing something that he wished would never see the light of day.

Blair could barely mask her grin. "Come on, Chuck, it's adorable! You know what I should do with this?" She began backing away, as she didn't like the way Chuck was eyeing the camera.

"What exactly do you think you're going to be doing with it?" he amended approached her slowly. They were reaching the stairs. Blair would have nowhere to shrink away.

She cast another glance at the camera and smiled like the cat that ate the canary. "I'm sure Bart would _love_ to use it for those publicity ads that he's been doing lately. It would really give BI that family ima—" She took off down the stairs, laughing like a child when he lunged for her, cutting her off mid-sentence.

Chuck followed after her until she rounded the sofa. They were at an impasse, and he stood on the other side, waiting for her to make her move. "Let me see the camera, Blair." An unwilling smile was spreading over his face. He had never seen Blair Waldorf _play_ like she was doing right now. It intrigued him.

Blair tsk-ed, palming the device in one hand. "And what's in it for me if I do?"

"You'll live to tell the tale."

He liked the way her cheeks were flushed and the way her breasts were heaving up and down. He liked it _a lot_. He liked how happy and carefree she looked, and how it was him that made her look like that.

Not Nate, her Prince Charming, but him.

"What are you two doing?"

Serena was standing behind them, watching the scene. She looked like she had just slept through a good cry and she sounded congested. Chuck sneered at her. So far, she had done nothing to garner a spot in his good graces.

"We're tolerating your presence. What are you doing?"

Blair sighed, and Chuck knew that the game was over. "This is ridiculous, Chuck. Stop giving her a hard time." Blair smiled kindly at her best friend. "How did you sleep?"

"Terribly…no offense. I just," her voice crackled with emotion and Chuck fought a groan. "I just couldn't stop thinking about him. And how hurt he was." She let out a few gasping sobs and Chuck gratefully stepped back while Blair rushed to comfort her.

"Is he coming to dinner tonight? Maybe you two could go off and talk…"

The blonde shook her head. "I don't know, B. I don't know if I can make this right. He doesn't believe me…and frankly," she gave a little self-deprecating laugh. "Who would?"

Blair immediately tried to quiet her with reassuring words and looking at Serena, standing there so hopeless made Chuck finally feel sorry for her. Because whether he wanted to admit it or not, he was in the same boat. Who would believe them?

A/N: Next is dinner with Bart Bass. Yay! Should be some fun times, and maybe Chuck will even get his hands on some stuff :). One can only hope… Anyway, review and tell me what you thought!


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: Don't own.

A/N: Well, I'm back! I know it's been too long, but I've learned the hard way that the moment you say that school isn't kicking your ass is the moment it begins to do just that! :( I hope that you're all still reading, because I intend to see this story through to the end. This chapter features a lot of Bart, in what I think is a kinder light. You might all begin to see something of a humanization to him that we haven't really seen with regards to Chuck. And thank you to **Mrs. Cohen **and **86kay**, who got me moving on this one! And to **all of my reviewers**, without you I wouldn't have much of a reason to put this up! (The show certainly isn't offering any inspiration, if you know what I mean…) But, anyway!

Chuck was a good boy at the office. He had gone to great lengths to ensure that he got through all of the work that Bart had dictated to him that morning. Luckily, most of it wasn't as hard as he had imagined it to be. The most important part of the job was 'knowing the players' as his father often warned him when he was younger and the man was trying desperately to get Chuck to show a glimmer of interest in his birthright.

Now, Chuck was beginning to see the truth in that lesson. One of his biggest problems was that he didn't know who he was working with and what means he could use to charm and persuade them. Luckily, his gift for getting woman to drop their panties also happened to work in the business world (metaphorically speaking, of course). He could usually figure out what these men were after within two minutes of conversation and exactly how to speak to them.

Bart was now watching him like a hawk and periodically complaining about having to do it. It annoyed them both to no end, but it also ensured that Chuck was making very few mistakes.

Serena had volunteered to babysit Liliana for the day and called in sick for work. Everyone knew that she just wanted to escape from the reality of her life, but no one chose to comment on it—not even Chuck, who was just grateful that Blair wasn't going to talk his ear off about when and if he would have to pick up Lili from whatever place they dropped her for the day.

They all entered the penthouse together: Serena, Liliana, Chuck, and Blair. The ride in the elevator was agonizing as Chuck began to actually play out what the hell could possibly happen in the next few hours. He realized that he had never been with this particular group of people in an isolated environment. He didn't know how to properly interact with them or how to be around them…especially Lily. He didn't know how to interact in this family.

The doors opened in Lili practically leapt out of Chuck's arms, taking off into the foyer, until she was called back by a disapproving Blair.

"Darling, your coat."

The child pouted as she returned to where the adults were standing. "I wanna see Grandma and Grandpa…"

"Yes, we could all see that by the way you were so willing to sustain a head injury. Don't jump down like that," Chuck reprimanded. It took him a moment to be astonished by how much like a real parent he sounded. Getting the fuck out of this world was top priority. The kid cracking her head open was none of his business. Right.

"Sometimes your concern leaves me breathless, Chuck." Blair helped her daughter out of her coat and handed it to the help. Then she knelt next to the little girl. "But your father happens to have a point. You're way too smart to fall on your head and end up brain-damaged. Trust me, you wouldn't be too happy about it either."

"Would it make me ugly?" Liliana asked, she folded her arms tightly, as if trying to ward off the possibility.

"I don't think that's possible, baby," Serena said, looking amused for the first time that night.

"Serena, Charles, and Blair." Lily appeared from the sitting room with a graceful smile on her face. "It's so lovely that you could all make it."

Chuck noticed that Serena and Blair exchange a good-natured eye roll and presumed that Lily probably greeted them that way every time they showed up for dinner.

"What about me, Grandma?" Liliana demanded, a pout on her small face.

Lily held out her arms and bent a little. "My most important guest for last, darling. Come give me a hug."

The child complied and Lily pressed a kiss to her head. "Where's Grandpa?"

"He's in his office working. You should go surprise him."

Lili crinkled her nose. "Working? I'll go get him." They watched with indulgent faces as the little girl ambled up the stairs, before Lily turned to them again.

"I've decided that I'm better off having her go get Bart. She's has better success pulling him away from his work."

Chuck shrugged. "I think it's a Waldorf trait." Prompting Blair to slap him on the shoulder.

"And I suppose her Bass trait would be the inability to behave?"

He smirked at her and Serena rolled her eyes. "Can you guys lay off the playful banter for a little bit? There are other people in the room, you know."

Chuck was slightly taken aback by her harshness and didn't really know what she meant by her remark. "We _know_ people are in the room, Serena, but thank you for affirming our suspicions."

"Just making sure."

Lily, who apparently didn't like where this was heading, clapped her hands gently and gesture behind her. "Why don't we all grab a drink while we wait? Charles, you'll have your usual, I presume?"

Being addressed by the woman who was supposed to be his stepmother made him strangely nervous. This time, he wasn't at a party where he could mingle and move in and out of conversation. He was surrounded by the people that knew him best and had expectations. Any strange behavior would be noted by all of them. He coughed awkwardly.

"Yeah, the usual…" Lily gave him a warm smile and then led them to the sitting room, following closely by a subdued Serena. Blair walked at his side, sending him a curious glance, as if she had sensed his discomfort. But she didn't comment on it.

As they moved past the stairs, the thought occurred to him: Bart's safe. If any information was to be had, that was where it would be and he needed to get it as soon as possible.

He thought about going in there without Bart's knowledge, but he wasn't sure whether Bart would have changed the combination within the last ten years and a new marriage to boot. And if this wasn't even the same universe, he could quite possibly have no idea what the combination was. Briefly, he wondered if Bart wouldn't just _give_ him the information if he asked. The man had gone so far as to taunt him for the sentimental streak Other Chuck had displayed by getting rid of his files on his wife; he might actually be proud that Chuck now wanted to dig into Blair's past again. He brushed aside the trickle of shame that cropped up at the thought.

"Lily, I need to discuss something with Bart for a moment. Would you excuse me?" he asked charmingly.

Lily inclined her head. "Of course, Charles." He was getting the impression that she really quite liked him by the way she was smiling. The thought made his heart beat a little faster, though he didn't know why. Society wives usually found themselves very taken with the young Bass heir. This was just different.

Blair, unfortunately, was not so convinced. She had a speculative look in her eyes and caught his hand as he stood up. "Chuck…this isn't time for business."

It was like she sensed that something was off, that he wanted to do something that she wouldn't like. He had a feeling that it was always this way between them, but he could barely comprehend the possibility.

"I won't be long," he promised, pulling away without looking at her. If he looked at her, he would never make it up the stairs. He hated that it merely took the sound of her voice to feel like he was attempting to make a huge betrayal. It wasn't the case; he just _needed_ to know.

He knew the way to Bart's office. It was a path he had taken often, whether he had gone willingly only to be brushed aside with a curt dismissal, or if Bart had summoned him to lecture him on what a failure of a son he was. Never once, had he left satisfied, or any better off than before. He hoped that tonight would be a first in a world of firsts.

Lilliana was sitting quite commandingly on Bart's lap when Chuck reached the doorway. She was puzzling over something that clearly had her grandfather amused.

"But, why can't you just tell them to, Grandpa?"

"Because deals don't work that way. There has to be compromise, or the relationship won't be healthy."

"But you have more money."

"Yes." The two were so engrossed in the conversation, that neither noticed their audience. Bart shifted the little girl slightly so he could look down at her. "I do. But to make more, you have to ensure that people can trust you."

"So you cop—compro…"

"Compromise. You make them think that it's a fair deal."

The child's ears perked up at this. "But you can play tricks on them…can't you, Grandpa?" she asked slyly.

Then Chuck heard a sound that he had never heard in his life: Bart Bass' outright and honest laughter. It was unrestrained and entirely new sound that left Chuck shocked. Bart was pleased with his otherworldly child in a way that Chuck himself had never been able to bring out in his father. It left him burning inside, creeping into his skin and refusing to go away.

"Daddy!" The delighted girl's voice called, finally seeing him standing there. Bart looked up, the vestiges of his amusement dissipating.

"Are we ready for dinner?" he asked, obviously wondering why Chuck had come up to find them.

"Actually, I needed a word," Chuck said more aggressively than he had originally planned, looking pointedly at Liliana. "Lili, why don't you go see Mommy downstairs?"

"I've seen her lots today…" she protested, sliding off of her grandfather's lap.

"I know, but I have to have a talk with Grandpa alone." He was trying valiantly to keep the impatience out of his voice. "Downstairs, kiddo."

With a pout, she left, refusing to look at Chuck, who felt halfway apologetic for his tone. But there was nothing he could do about it now.

Bart, however, seemed to notice the change in his demeanor. "Why were you so short with her?" He looked honestly perplexed by it, and Chuck scoffed. Anger, newly formed, was bubbling up and acidic. Since when did Bart give a damn about trifling things like children?

"We wouldn't want her getting in the way of business, would we, Dad? I'm just employing what I learned from the master." His voice was heavily sarcastic. It was the scene: Bart, with _his _daughter, looking at _her_ and not his fucking papers for once. Taking enjoyment and not annoyance out of the fact that she had interrupted his work. Now he realized that Bart didn't just tolerate his granddaughter, but took an interest in her, and let her make him laugh. Things he would have never done for Chuck.

Maybe it wasn't Bart, like Chuck had thought all of this time. Maybe it had been him.

"If you have something to say, Chuck, just say it," Bart sighed. Chuck could see that he was getting bored with the attitude and it only served to exacerbate his anger. He didn't really know what to say, or how to make this feeling go away. He wanted it to go away, because it was the last thing he needed to deal with along with all of the other stuff that was pressing on his mind. He didn't need to put his relationship with Bart under a microscope along with everything else.

"Liliana is _my_ kid. So please spare me any of the little parenting tips you want to share with me without having _ever_ put them to use on your own time. I'm doing just fine."

"You don't sound fine." Bart dropped his pen on his desk. "You haven't seemed fine for the past two or three days and I'm curious as to why." Chuck shrugged, keeping his eyes on the mahogany desk. "At first, I thought it might be Mr. Baizen's unprecedented return to town or your latest impasse with Blair, but now it seems…"

"Seems like what?" Chuck challenged softly.

"You aren't yourself. Why? Why are you acting like—"

"Like what?" Chuck demanded. He wanted to hear Bart say it, what he knew was coming. And Bart didn't disappoint.

"Like a child." There it was. The same words he had always used to describe Chuck. The same condescending, disgusted tone. But he had to wonder why _this _Bart seemed so surprised…

"Don't I always?" Chuck said lightly. He was always good at covering.

Bart finally looked at him, his full attention on his son. Chuck realized that he had raised his father's suspicions now. "You know how you act. You don't need me to tell you. Or do you?"

"What I've thought about myself never mattered much to you, Dad. So I'm asking."

Bart grew impatient. "Why now?" He frowned at him, appraising the reluctance of the man in front of him, the waves of impulsive anger that would be so much more commonly found in a younger person. "Haven't we buried all of this? What the hell has gotten into you?"

Shit. Chuck cursed himself, forcibly calming his temper. It didn't matter when Bart had become Mr. Family Man. This wasn't real and he needed something from Bart. He wasn't going to get it when he was behaving like this. He pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration.

"God, nothing. Nothing. I'm just on edge…because I need…I need…" he swallowed, looking at his father. "Carter Baizen needs to go, Dad. And I need to see what you have on him. Everything, because—"

"You're missing information from when you trashed all your files on Blair." Bart finished for him. "I had a feeling that was a problem last night. But what I'm wondering is why you would need information from the past, things you experienced and undoubtedly remember."

"It doesn't have anything to do with my memory!" Chuck snapped. "And considering you were taunting me on the phone last night, I'm not sure what kind of reaction you expected."

Bart favored Chuck with a little smile and turned his back on him, walking over to the window and surveying the outside. Chuck didn't move, just stared at his progress, wishing he could tell what Bart was thinking. "I was just reminding you that things happen…and you shouldn't take anything for granted."

"But Carter—"

"It's in the past. You let it go, but you never forget that it happened. You don't let it happen again."

He was silent after that and Chuck was afraid to speak. He didn't want to say the wrong thing, and he was every bit as lost as he had always been when confronting his father. He needed the words…just this once. But they wouldn't come.

"I'm not giving you those files, Chuck."

"W-w-what? Why?" Chuck sputtered. He couldn't understand it. Why was Bart choosing to be so difficult? Was this just to torture him? But then, Bart turned around and his son could see none of the expected malice in his face, only barely concealed concern.

"Because…she'll find out. Blair will find out that you've dug up information on her again, and you'll put your marriage on the line. Women always discover the worst things, the ones you try the hardest to cover up. It's something you should learn, son."

In the face of his response, Chuck felt more puzzled than he had been the entire four days of being trapped in this alternate reality. "Why do you care whether I put my marriage on the line?" The question lacked all the anger that he had contained before, and Bart seemed to sense this, so he gave him an answer.

"There was a time…when I thought that you would never grow up. You never had a care beyond what you were doing that night and you were a selfish hedonist. And a large part of that was my fault, completely. I didn't try to be a part of your life, because every time I looked at you, all I could see was _her_." Somehow, Chuck knew exactly who Bart was talking about as he stood breathlessly, listening to things that he never imagined Bart saying. "Blair changed you. She made you see the best of yourself in the way that I should have. And Chuck…whatever you want to do…it's not worth the trouble. Don't lose all that you have for it. It will never be more important."

"Dad…I won't," the words came out almost gently. It was unnerving to have an actual conversation with Bart, and he wanted to know so much more. He was hungry to know more about this life.

"Oh come on, Chuck! I'm not blind. Something's been affecting you, and it isn't just Carter Baizen. You've been covering all this week for something. But even you can't hide it all the time, and I don't like what I'm seeing."

Chuck scoffed. It was all becoming so clear to him now. "You mean the 'old me', right? The person I was…"

"The person you were before you got on that plane to Tuscany."

_Tuscany_. The word burned his ear like a sudden spark. He repeated it to himself, trying to get the feeling again. There was so much familiarity in that word, that place, and yet, he couldn't grasp it. Its significance was lost on him. Bart was watching him seriously.

"I've said it once and I'll say it again. Forget about Carter Baizen and let Serena work out her own mess with him. Keep Blair and yourself out of it. Especially if pursuing it means that you have to betray your agreement with her, for whatever reason."

Chuck's throat had gone too dry through the course of this discussion. There were too many things to try and figure out. Too many loose ends. Above all, there was this love for Blair that seemed so incredible that even _Bart,_ the reigning monarch of indifferent fathers, had taken notice. And Bart was _thankful_ for Blair's influence in Chuck's life. What had Blair done to him? If it was _him_, that is, though it was seeming like it more and more…

"We have to get downstairs, we've kept them waiting far too long," Bart said, glancing at his watch with a heavily released breath.

"But—"

"Charles," Bart started, cutting across him. "If you really need what you're looking for, then you already have all of the access that you could possibly want. You know that."

Whatever the hell that could mean, Chuck wasn't sure. But the information that he was looking for was feeling marginally less important. When Bart had been speaking to him, he had felt as if he was on the brink of something…something he really could use. Something that would get him out of here for good.

The problem was…he found himself becoming increasingly fascinated with what he couldn't have. In real life, could he and Blair ever become something? And there was Nate, there would always be Nate, no matter what happened. And if he got back, would he remember everything that had happened here? Could he stand to live in a world where he was utterly alone, knowing that through one of his best friends, the only girl on the planet that he respected, made him more complete? Could he stand to be without her?

And here and now…did he love her?

They walked in silence, Bart never was one for mindless chatter, and he obviously felt that he had said his piece. And Chuck was slowly drowning in his own mind, too much so to speak.

"There they are…" Lily said with the veneer of playfulness that showed just how tense she was. It was apparent that the women in the room thought they had argued upstairs, only Serena looking like she didn't really care. Blair had that smile on her face which she normally employed when she was smiling for everyone's benefit but her own. Chuck hated that smile.

"I hope we didn't keep everyone waiting," Bart said politely. "Hello Blair," he nodded at his daughter-in-law and turned to the other girl. "Serena…will Daniel be joining us this evening?"

At this, Lily's eyes flashed warningly at her husband and Blair shook her head covertly at Bart. Chuck almost laughed when Liliana looked at her mother and mirrored the action with considerably more obviousness, though she didn't know what was going on. Serena tried to brighten to her usual, sunny self, though her eyes were slightly red and Chuck had the sneaking suspicion that she had dissolved into tears after he had gone upstairs. "Oh…no, he's…he has a lot of work to do at the moment, and…he just couldn't come."

"Ah," Bart muttered, ending that line of questioning when he saw that it was dangerous, crying-girl territory. "Well, why don't we…" he gestured towards the dining room and everyone stood immediately, not wanting to linger.

Chuck felt a small hand slip into his own and saw the Lili had scrambled beside him as they moved to the table. "Daddy," she whispered, the loud way that children do when they think they're being quiet. "I wanna sit next to you. Can I?"

"Yes," he whispered loudly back. And all he could think of when he lifted her down in the chair next to his and she placed her napkin on her lap was that….she was wonderful. And he was finally beginning to understand where she came from.

The dinner passed with Liliana talking continuously about everything she had done that day and the day before. Chuck could swear that he could have recited most of what she said word-for-word because she had already told him exactly what she did the moment he got home from work. She glowed under an audience and her vibrant precociousness had them very amused, though the adults tried to mask it because they didn't want the little girl to think they were laughing at her.

Chuck allowed his mind to wander, trying out the word again, hoping it would jog some strange past-future memory that he could use to figure out what was going on. Tuscany. The plane to Tuscany.

"Are you alright?" Blair murmured. Her voice was so sexy and worried and her lips brushed against his ear. He almost shuddered with desire. How had it come to this?

Her hand squeezed his and he finally answered her. "I'm fine."

"Bart didn't—"

"No." He knew what she was insinuating. "Actually, he was sort of helpful…"

"Helpful how?"

"Mommy! Daddy! Are you even paying _attention_?" Lili was glaring at them with aggravation that caused the rest of the table to laugh, even Serena. Chuck shook his head at the kid. Of course, Blair's daughter would resent it if the world wasn't hanging on her every word.

"We heard the story already, darling," Blair reminded her daughter. "You told us on the way to dinner."

"Yes, but now I'm telling it _better_. You have to listen!"

"Alright, alright," Chuck said calmly, trying to avoid a colossal temper tantrum. "Tell the story, we're listening."

"Okay, so then Dorota came back from the laundry place and saw…"

"Details, Bass," Blair said again in his ear before pulling away again, definitely a warning for later tonight. He would have to circumvent that somehow. But he could think of a way…oh, he could definitely think of a way.

They all gathered for coffee in the sitting room at the end of dinner. Liliana was nearly asleep in Blair's arms, her head lolling contentedly on her mother's shoulder as the women discussed Eleanor's upcoming spring line. Chuck sat next to them, trying to keep up with Bart in a conversation about a possible client. It sucked and was feeling a lot like Bart was testing him, but that was how he usually felt when talking to Bart.

The conversation paused for a moment when Serena's phone began to ring. The blonde looked down at the name of the caller and something flickered across her face. Chuck couldn't tell you what it was, but he felt Blair tense beside him when Serena excused herself and walked away to take it.

One moment later, Lili was being dumped in his lap. "If you'll excuse me, I need to use the bathroom."

Chuck knew for a fact that everyone in the room knew that she was going to eavesdrop on Serena, but nobody said anything about it. Lili shifted to a comfortable position in his arms and closed her little eyes. He held her closer.

Blair appeared a few minutes before Serena did, and Chuck knew her well enough to tell that she was troubled.

Lily and Bart were oblivious. "Blair, I'd been meaning to ask you again if you can't make it to Mrs. Washington's 80th birthday tomorrow evening. I know you declined initially, but I can still make room on the guest list for you and Charles if you have the time now."

"Oh…no, I'm sorry Lily, I'm just working on this case at the moment, and it's taking up most of my time…"

"You don't need to explain, dear. I understand. I believe Serena will still be joining us, won't you, Serena?" She directed the question to the blonde as she entered the room, who stopped short.

"Mom…I don't know, I'm really not—"

"Your name is on the guest list, Serena, just try to make it please."

Serena nodded distractedly. "Sure, Mom. Look, I hate to do this, but something came up and I just have to go now…"

"Is something wrong?"

"No…I have something I need to take care of…I'll see you tomorrow night." She didn't wait to be excused, but hurried off to the elevator and departed without another word. Bart and Lily exchanged glances, stunned by the abruptness, but Chuck was quite pleased.

"I take it she's not staying with us tonight? I've gotta say, the evening's looking up!"

"Chuck…we should be going, too," Blair said, gathering Lili back into her arms. "This one can barely keep her eyes open."

"'Mmm fine," the child protested faintly.

"Well, it was lovely to see all three of you," Lily said, standing up to walk them out. Bart trailed back with Chuck.

"I suggest you end whatever Blair has planned, Chuck. Let Serena deal with her own crisis."

"I'll handle it, Dad," Chuck hissed, stepping into the elevator with Blair and a sleeping Lili. "Dinner was wonderful, Lily. Thank you."

"You're most welcome, Charles. We'll see you next week."

They both nodded agreeably, smiles on their faces until the elevator doors closed.

"So what's the reason behind that adorable furrow in your brow?"

Before answering, Blair checked to make sure Lili was truly asleep. "Serena's meeting Carter in a hotel room tomorrow night, which is probably why she didn't want to commit to the party."

"A hotel room? Well that leaves my suspicions to rest…"

"Not mine. I'm going to find out what Carter has on Serena tomorrow night and that's final. If you want to tag along, you're more than welcome."

Chuck looked away, thinking of Bart's words. "Haven't you ever considered just letting the whole thing go? Maybe it's Serena's mess to clean up…"

"Serena's mess is my mess, Chuck," Blair responded firmly. "I'm not allowing her to blow up her life. And why are you all of the sudden so against this? A few hours ago, you were more than happy to give me a hand."

"That was then. I just don't know if we should be getting entangled with the likes of that scum all over again…"

Blair stepped closer to him, giving him a hot, sideways smile that made him smirk in delight. "It's what we do, Chuck. By the time we're through with Carter Baizen, there won't be enough of him to buy a plane ticket." She leaned up and gave him a slow, open-mouthed kiss. "And I kind of like the idea of 'entanglement.'"

A/N: So, will Chuck help Blair out…and maybe get a little more than he bargained for in the process? More to come! Sorry again for the delay…please drop a review and tell me what you think!


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: Don't own.

A/N: Okay, we're are now about to hit the climax of the story, where everything begins to slowly unravel, so get ready! :) I know you guys have been curious, and all your questions will be answered very soon. Thank you to EVERYONE who reviews because you especially really make all of this worth it and you have no idea how much it is appreciated (or maybe you do…). But thank you, and seriously, don't stop now!

NOTE: In this story, Chuck's mother is DEAD (wow, that sounds kind of harsh, doesn't it…). I can't stand that Elizabeth Fisher nonsense, and if you happened to like it, then I give you credit for being able to stomach it, but I hated it, so in my story, it just doesn't exist. That is all.

"You're going to need to go over this with me again…what did she say when you asked her what the hell Carter is holding over her head?"

"I _told_ you; she didn't answer me, really. She didn't deny that Carter was playing games, but she wouldn't tell me what. She…" Blair frowned, "she started talking about Liliana, actually."

Chuck shook his head, leaning his head back against the bed. He didn't know where she was going with this. And frankly, he was assisting her despite his better judgment. "What, do you think she was trying to give you some sort of clue? I didn't know Serena had the mental capacity for subtlety."

He heard her phone drop onto the bed with a muffled thump and her heavy sigh. "I don't know, Chuck. I don't _know_! Why does Serena ever do anything?" Suddenly, he felt her warmth as she joined him on the bed. "I just want him gone."

He knew that he probably shouldn't open this line of questioning…not so late at night and not to provoke her further into this protection of Serena. But he needed to know why she was so adamant about this. It couldn't just be about her best friend. Chuck had seen Blair on the warpath before, and this wasn't quite right. Blair didn't want to see Carter destroyed so much as she wanted him to disappear, and that concerned him. The Blair he knew didn't even leave the scraps of her enemies.

And from what everyone seemed to be implying, Carter had done something to Blair in order to get at _him_. And Chuck didn't like that. He wanted her to tell him the story.

"I want him gone too, don't I?" Chuck said finally, feeling his way into a topic that he didn't know, pretending he understood more than he did. "After what he did to you—"

"He didn't do _anything_ to me, Chuck!" Blair sat up so she was looking down at him, her position of power. But Chuck saw something chase across her face, a moment of panic.

"That's not the way I hear it."

"You don't need to hear it; you were there," she retorted hotly. He was surprised she had gotten upset so quickly…and yet, he had always had a talent for pushing her buttons. Even before all of this. But the more worked-up she got, the more he was beginning to see the cracks in her armor. It was all a façade, because when Blair Waldorf played, she played by her own rules. And sometimes real things didn't have to exist.

"So I was there for something? The big event?" he questioned, an ironic smirk on his face. "And what, pray tell, was it?"

Blair slipped off the bed and stalked away, towards her bureau. "I'm not going to play games with you tonight, Chuck. And I'm certainly not going to recite back what you already know."

"Maybe it's not me that I think needs to know," he replied smoothly, following her to where she stood, moving in behind her. "Do you know how many people have told me that I should keep you out of this? How many people have told me not to lose my temper with this scum for whatever he did?"

"You forget that you can't tell me what to do," she muttered back challengingly. "This is about Serena and Carter, Chuck. Let's keep it that way."

"Why? Why do you have to _constantly_ bail Serena out of trouble? Isn't it getting a little old? Especially when something else is in play, here."

"Nothing else has to be an issue unless you make it one," she replied calmly. But he could hear the tremors in her voice. "It's over. You got there before…and it's over. You promised me that you would never make an issue of it, don't you remember that? You promised me! So _why_ are you making it about this?"

The edge of hysteria in her voice made him want to stop. Before, he thought that everybody was warning him about Carter because of his possessiveness and jealousy. Now, it was clear that something else had happened, something more.

"I should have done that before," he said, turning her to face him, forcing her to listen. "I should have made sure that you couldn't involve yourself with Carter and Serena without acknowledging the truth." The irony of what he was saying to her wasn't lost on him, of course. He didn't know the truth…but at least he wasn't willfully ignoring it. Bart had definitely gotten something right when he had warned against this whole thing. "What did he do to you? Say it out loud," he commanded her, holding her arms so she wouldn't move away.

Blair wouldn't look at him, but scoffed at his words. "I don't need to say it aloud to know what happened." Her eyes searched the room before they settled on him again, and Chuck saw that she had regained some of her composure. "But maybe _you_ do." She tilted her head to the side, almost curiously, and Chuck felt slightly embarrassed at her appraisal. "You're always asking questions now. Do you think I don't see that?" She pushed him away forcefully and crossed to the other side of the room, distancing herself from him. "This isn't about Carter _or_ Serena. This is about you."

For Blair, the best defense had always been a good offense. But her observation was too keen to deflect and it had him wishing for not the first time that his wife could be a little less intelligent. But they had been lingering on this middle ground for quite some time. He knew that she could feel that something wasn't quite right with him, but obviously it didn't scare her enough to acknowledge it to him or anyone else. And that was good, it made things easier for him if they stayed on the tentative ground they were on.

"You haven't slept with me."

Those words jarred him out of his thoughts and he looked up at her like she had hit him.

"What?"

Her words were steady and matter-of-fact. "We haven't had sex since…the evening of your speech to Bart." Her lips quirked up slightly and he could tell that she was mocking him. "What? You thought I hadn't noticed?"

He watched her with disbelieving eyes. _He_ had noticed. He had noticed so much that just talking about it was making him burn inside. But she continued; the sudden change of pace was leading somewhere.

"Now, if I didn't know any better…and, knowing you, I certainly _don't_…I would say that it was because you didn't want to have sex with me."

"You're an idiot," he said hotly. He was actually insulted. "If that's what you think—damnit! I've been bending over backwards just to try not to—"

"Try not to what?" she interrupted sharply, her dark eyes on fire with the trap she was laying for him. "You can tell me, Chuck. I already know."

He met her eyes just as fiercely. "You were angry with me or Serena was here, crying on your shoulder or a million other different things." His hand was hard against the wood of her bureau, where she had left him standing. He remembered her, sashaying into the room and taking off her clothes, only a few nights before. She said that she could _tell_, her hands on his face. Her Chuck…it was and it wasn't.

Blair shook her head, a small smile appearing on her face. "Trust me, if we haven't had sex, it's for a real reason. Not for lack of time, or lack of interest. It's a reason I don't quite understand...but at least it makes sense, doesn't it?"

Chuck raised his eyebrows as he felt his cheeks flush. "Not having sex doesn't make _any_ sense to me." As the words came out of his mouth, he actually evaluated them. It was indeed strange that he hadn't had sex with her or anyone else in the past few days—the entire time he had been trapped here. And if he were to be honest with himself, he hadn't had any inclination to have sex with another woman. Maybe on some level, he could get that. Blair was his wife here, and he didn't want to ruin her marriage to _himself_ or Other Chuck or Whoever Chuck…

But not having sex with Blair—that was the unexplainable part. He frankly couldn't be in the same room with her nowadays without wanting to jump her. At first, the phantom presence of her and Nate was a shadow that he couldn't shake…but he had gotten over that rather quickly.

Now, he wasn't sure why he hadn't followed through with her. And he wasn't sure why she had gone along with the whole thing, being well-aware of the fact that they hadn't slept together.

"I want you," he said simply, a note of frustration in his voice. "You have no idea."

"Yes I do," she whispered, but still loud enough for him to hear. "You can't help it. No matter what. No matter who you are."

If she had said that to him the night he found himself in the bedroom, just before Bart's dinner, he would have laughed at her. But now, having seen her the way he was now, having _felt_ her…he knew it was true. He would never be able to help it.

"Then be fair to me and tell me about you and Carter." She thought that she had gotten him off track—he could tell by the way her jaw slackened ever-so-slightly. He was the only person she knew who match her focus and intelligence, and he was proving it.

If she really trusted him and believed that she could feel what he felt, then she would tell him what happened. Whether she knew why he was asking or not.

She didn't say anything at first, didn't look at him. And once he was almost positive that she wasn't going to answer him at all, but stay in this contemplative silence, she spoke. "He got me. I thought we were working together, but he tricked me." Her eyes were on him for a fraction of a second. "It was about you."

"What did he do to you, Blair?" he asked quietly. He wished that he had some idea of how far that Carter would go, far enough to do something to an innocent girl. He was barely aware of his fingernails biting into his palms while he waited for her to tell him the rest.

She sighed, and the sound reminded him of butterfly wings. He felt it in his stomach.

"I hate to lose," she muttered. "Even when you save me. When you saved _us_. I hated to lose to that pig."

"Is this about revenge?" he demanded. Bart's warning wasn't far from his mind. Bart knew what had transpired and this is exactly what he was trying to tell Chuck. He was beginning to wonder how dangerous Carter was…it was making him oddly nervous.

"This is about Serena," Blair said firmly, strolling back to the bed. "I don't want him to destroy her. I know what he's capable of."

Carter had always been more fixated on Serena than on Blair, probably because Serena was more wild and unrestrained…more liable to make a mistake. Carter loved when people made mistakes. It was how he manipulated them. So it stood to reason that whatever he wanted with Serena, could be worse than what he tried to do to Blair. Chuck didn't think that Carter was in love with Serena. Men like Carter didn't fall in love.

Men like Chuck didn't fall in love.

"Do you think that he…feels something for Serena?" Chuck asked, hating himself for having to. He was beginning to believe that anything was possible.

"I don't know what goes on in Carter Baizen's mind. But I don't intend on allowing him to plague us anymore." Blair's face was set like stone. "I've figured out what you can check up on."

#####################################################################

He stayed up all night going through records and contacting people before he found what he was looking for. Blair was right, they wouldn't even really have to do the work. One phone call was all it took.

He had to warn these guys to hold off, though. Because there would be no action until they found out what Carter had on Serena. Blair had gotten the name of the hotel and the room number. Blair had told him not to worry, that she would take care of Serena, promising that her best friend would be at that old woman's birthday party rather than with Carter. Chuck and Blair, on the other hand, would be happy to meet him. And he would give them their answers before they set the dogs on him.

But first, Chuck had something to take care of. Blair's past with Carter was something he needed to know before he saw the guy. He didn't want Carter to have anything that he could use against him. At least, not anything that Chuck didn't know about.

He hadn't pushed Blair last night to tell him because something had occurred to him while he was talking to her. Bart wouldn't let him into the safe that held all the answers he needed to know about Blair and Carter…but Bart didn't need to because Chuck knew the combination.

This was his world. For some reason, that hadn't become clear to him until last night, when Blair was speaking to him. He was Other Chuck and this was his life. He knew because the Blair that he slept beside last night was the one that he had grown up with. The one who he had trusted enough to call five days ago to meet him at Victrola and get her opinion before he pitched the idea to his father. He knew because there was no one living on their earth that he could ever be capable of loving…except her. He knew her like the back of his hand, and she could tell exactly what he was feeling just by giving him a glance.

And it wasn't just in this future life that they were connected like that. He just had never noticed before or never wanted to notice, he wasn't sure. They worked in a way that she and Nate never could, because he saw every part of her, good and bad. And she made him want to be better. She made him want to love her.

And if this was this world, then Chuck knew the combination to Bart's safe. And he had a feeling that his father wouldn't have changed it.

"Where are we going?" Liliana asked as he hurried her into the limo. His hand gripped hers tightly so she wouldn't trip over her feet. "Daddy, why are we going so fast?"

"Because time is money…and other important things that Daddy needs," Chuck told her coaxingly. "So you'll be my good girl, right?"

"I 'spose," the child answered noncommittally, climbing onto his lap as the limo pulled out onto the street. "Are you leaving me somewhere? 'Cause you always tell me to be a good girl ahead of time when you leave me somewhere."

"You're just about the smartest kid I've ever met," Chuck said fondly, dragging a finger down her petal-soft cheek. "How does some time with Uncle Nate sound?"

"Uncle Nate's funny," Liliana told Chuck. She was staring at his unshaven jaw distractedly, rubbing it with her small fingers. "But why do I have to be with Uncle Nate?"

"Basically because Mommy is working late tonight and is under the assumption that Daddy had nothing to do after work but watch you. Which is unfortunate, because it is not the case, but I couldn't exactly tell her that because what I'm doing requires the utmost secrecy. Do you understand?"

Liliana nodded seriously at her father, her lips pursed in a perfect pout to rival her mother's. "Upmost secrecy."

"And since your Aunt Serena would blurt something out to your mother and has her own problems to deal with, Uncle Nate seemed like the best option."

"Are you doing something bad, Daddy?" She was frowning now and she turned in his lap so she was facing him and held herself steady with the lapels of his jacket. "Don't make Mommy mad at you."

"Don't worry about Mommy," he said grimly. "I've got that covered. You just be a good girl for Uncle Nate. Use small words and all of that and don't confuse him."

Liliana giggled. "Okay."

The limo slowed to a halt and Arthur pulled the door open to let them out at Nate's office. Liliana slid off of Chuck's lap and took Chuck's hand as she stood before the building, craning her small head up to look to the top of the building. "Daddy?"

"Lili?"

"Did you tell Uncle Nate that you were bringing me?"

Chuck looked down at her, surprised that she asked that particular question, when it was the one thing he had neglected to do. "Good guess, kid. How did you know I didn't call Nathaniel?"

"'Cause Uncle Nate was…grumbling last time that you never call before you make him babysit. And that someday he might be too busy to watch me and that you should be more…considrate."

"Considerate," Chuck corrected, as he guided her into the building. "First your mother and now Nate, you know, you worry too much. I'll take care of everything."

When they entered the elevator, Liliana clamored to press the button and Chuck let her. Then, she reached her arms up, waiting for him to pick her up. He complied. "You trust me?"

Her eyes widened and she nodded her head. "Of course, Daddy. I always trust _you_."

Chuck tried hard not to smile when she said that.

They strode past Nate's secretary wordlessly, though the young woman stood up and attempted a feeble warning that Senator Archibald was very busy. They found Nate surrounded by paperwork when they entered the room. Nate looked up and the moment he saw Liliana, he gave Chuck a significant look.

"Uncle Nate!" Lili wriggled out of Chuck's arms and ran to Nate's desk and into his open arms for a hug. "Daddy said I was coming for a visit!"

"Hey sweetheart," Nate said cheerfully, staring at Chuck over the little girl's shoulder. "You know it's always good to see you." As Liliana settled in his lap, Nate directed his words to his best friend. "You do know that I'm actually on the clock right now, right?"

"I know. Sad, isn't it? You're lucky that I brought you some beautiful company to keep you from getting too bored." Chuck smirked as he walked towards them, his hands nonchalantly in his pockets.

Nate rolled his eyes. "Chuck, I can't babysit for you. I'm already behind and that's mostly because of the last time you left Lili with me. And you're off now, so why are you dumping her here?"

"I'm not dumping her!" Chuck scowled. "My kid wanted to spend time with her Uncle Nate, and how could I say 'no'?"

Note perfect, Liliana turned to look at Nate, her chocolate eyes big and sorrowful. "You don't want me to stay with you, Uncle Nate?" Her lower lip was trembling and Nate stared at her with an expression Chuck could imagine Nate sporting if he had just kicked a puppy.

"No, no, no! It's not like that!" Nate protested, giving the little girl an affectionate squeeze. "I'm just really busy today, sweetheart. I have all of this boring stuff that I need to do and I wouldn't be able to pay attention to my favorite little niece like I want to!" He was begging, and all three of them knew it.

"I promise I'll be really quiet! Can I stay if I promise?" Liliana almost had tears welling up in her beautiful eyes and Nate wilted almost immediately.

"You are your mother's daughter." He gave Chuck a fierce scowl. "You know, this is low, even for you."

Chuck shrugged, grinning widely. "It's not my fault that you can't turn away my little heiress. I'll be back to get her in a few hours. Do you think you could just take her home with you? Blair or I will be over to pick her up."

"Might as well," Nate muttered. "But if this puts me any more behind, there will be hell to pay, Bass."

"Fair enough," Chuck conceded, taking one more look around the plush office. "Behave yourself, Princess." As Lili nodded and waved good-bye, Chuck gave Nate a genuinely grateful look. "I owe you one, man."

He almost told Nate that this was about Carter. He almost did. But he realized quickly that it would be a mistake. He and Blair would take care of it, Nate could thank him later.

"Just hurry up and do what you need to do."

####################################################################

"Charles, you're back sooner than expected," Lily greeted Chuck, dropping a kiss on his cheek. "Were you looking for your father?"

"No, Lily, I know he's at the office," Chuck answered with a smile, piling on the charm. "But he asked me to come pick something up for him here, so I just wanted to go up there quick and grab it. Would that be all right?"

"Of course. You could join me for some tea if you're not too busy," Lily said, gesturing towards the sitting room. "If you're not in a hurry…"

"I would love to, but unfortunately, I have to take care of this as soon as possible," he apologized. "I'm sorry to rush in like this."

"Oh, not at all," she waved aside his excuse. "I understand completely." She looked at him warmly. "Just don't leave without saying good-bye."

"I wouldn't dream of it," Chuck assured her smoothly, already climbing the stairs.

He turned the lock of his father's safe with deft fingers: his mother's birthday. It certainly would never be _his_ birthday, thinking of the fated event that would always be intertwined with his birth. And while Bart was married to Lily, Chuck knew that it couldn't compare to what Bart had shared with his mother. Bart would hold on to that love forever, and the combination would never change.

Predictably, the safe clicked open and Chuck feasted his eyes on numerous, fat manila envelopes. They were neatly labeled, so he didn't have to trouble by looking through them all before finding the right one. **Blair Waldorf** sat amongst them as bold as Bart himself, not thinking anything of tearing into other people's lives.

Chuck slowly withdrew that file from the others and weighed it in his hand. Bart was nothing if not thorough, as demonstrated by the thick reports enclosed inside. He flipped through until he got to the right place chronologically…early 2009. Carter's name appeared near the top, again and again. Chuck read through, detailing things incredibly intrusive even for a private investigator. And as Chuck read down the page, the feeling of nausea grew in the pit of his stomach.

A/N: Yes, yes, it's a cliffhanger, I'm sorry! But I've got my rhythm back, so I won't leave you hanging for too long, I promise! Reviews help the process go faster, I swear. Like I said before, we're moving into the meat of the story, everything progresses fast from here. So, please, press that nice little review button down there. Any comment is appreciated (withstanding flames, of course)!


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: Don't own.

A/N: **Please Read! Important! **Okay, now you get to find out what Carter did to Blair (or tried to do, I should say) and because we have a different timeline going (Chuck went with Blair to Tuscany, meaning that though they were still engaged in an on-and-off relationship that comes with two damaged and passionate people like C/B, there was more of an understanding of what their feelings were. They definitely crossed swords a few times, but Blair was not left as insecure about Chuck as Season 2 had her feeling), she was NOT sleeping with Carter in this universe! Her and Chuck were just on a break and she was trying to irritate him, basically. I would love to put this all in the story, but it is exposition that just wouldn't fit naturally because it's not something Bart would have any information on and Chuck doesn't KNOW any of this. He's just working with what he knows. So, with that said, please enjoy the chapter! Your reviews are wonderful and inspiring and more appreciated than I can say. There is definitely more to come and I think that the next chapter (or the one after it, depending) will be particularly fun for you. I'm sorry for this incredibly long and annoying AN, but I just had to explain a few things.

Blair was sitting in the lobby when he entered, her legs primly crossed and her purse in her lap. When she saw him walk in, she raised an eyebrow and stood. "Does 8 o'clock now mean 8:15 in Bassland?"

He couldn't look at her. Couldn't even try to crack a smile. If he did, then she would know that something was wrong with him. He knew enough about her now to know that all it would take was to look her in the eye. She would see it.

Carter was going to pay. He had weaseled his way out of Chuck's punishment years ago and moved on to Serena. Maybe he had gotten bored. Maybe he was just trying to destroy everyone that seemed indestructible. Sunny and sexy Serena, smooth and careless Chuck, beautiful and regal Blair, even Nate…handsome, confused Nate. The four Upper East Siders that everyone _saw_ and remembered. Powerful because they had each other, no matter what. Was that what Carter was after? To ruin them? To fulfill some fucked-up god complex?

He couldn't stop thinking about it, wondering about it. He would never know how the scene really played out, he was sure that there were some things that even Other Chuck could only guess, and he could only play some imagined, terrible version of it in his head.

He kept seeing it. Not memories…but they were so tangible that they could be. And not just what he read about in that file, but the whole thing—from the moment Blair made her unholy alliance with Carter (he could fucking see it, their glasses of champagne clinking together as they agreed to work towards some mutual damage) to when he would have found her.

It said that he found her. It said that she had been drugged, because Carter would know that Blair wouldn't sleep with him if she was simply drunk. No, he wouldn't have left it to chance. Because it hadn't been done out of passion for Blair. It was all for Chuck. The video camera…that was for Chuck. It said there had been a video camera. Chuck didn't have to be a genius to know what that was for, and how Blair would never…

He felt her move closer to him, cautiously. He heard her heels clicking as she took a few steps forward. She didn't touch him, she just looked at him. And he could feel the weight of her gaze more heavily than anything he had ever felt. "What happened to you?"

A fucking video camera. She had refused to do anything about Carter. It said that she wouldn't press charges. Attempted Nothing. No report to the police, it was dropped. But Chuck knew that if it had been him (and he thought that it might be someday) he would have never let it go. But the hesitation, Blair's refusal…it cost them. Carter left the country before they could blink twice. It was all there, in the file. All those fucking words.

The file…the medical report said she was fine. She had been drugged, but there was no evidence of…anything else. It said she was fine. What did it know?

That was what really killed him. That bastard had used Blair. Of course, that was the idea, wasn't it? To use the one person that Chuck couldn't stand to see used. And not just because of what Blair was to Chuck. He didn't know their past, so how could he possibly guess what his counterpart had felt there? But he didn't have to spend another ten years with Blair to know what that could have done to her. Before there had ever been a "Chuck and Blair" or a love…there had been a friendship.

He had seen Blair at her strongest and her most vulnerable, when she would lord over her minions and when she was so broken she could barely stand.

When Blair was in pain, he could almost absorb it through her and take it on himself. It made him human. In many ways, she had made him human. He never wanted to be the cause of her pain.

He found her in time. He had. He had found her in time.

Her hand was on his chest, a gentle pressure. It took him longer to realize that _his_ hand had found her cheek, and he was stroking it, lost in it.

"What happened to you?" This time, the tone was more urgent and Chuck looked at her, knowing he hadn't fooled her for a moment. He couldn't think, didn't want to think. It was all on impulse. His other hand wrapped behind her and pulled her closer, into a hug. They never really hugged much when they were friends, he had always found other ways to be affectionate with her. He would wrap his arm around her, or kiss her cheek, or stroke her jaw…anything that could be considered perverse, especially by her. But he never hugged anyone. A hug was never lewd or perverse; it was just too intimate, more emotional than physical. And now he understood that people did it because they just wanted to be near another person, to be in that nearness with someone else.

Her arms went around his back tentatively, like she wanted to pull away, but sensed that he needed the comfort. He felt her face resting at the crook of his neck, buried away from the world and he liked it because it felt like trust. She trusted him despite everything.

Then she backed away, slipping her hand into his and pulling him towards the elevator. "We have to hurry."

He followed her like a child, uncaring as to who was watching them. She had taken care of everything and he didn't ask how. She had gotten the room number, a key from Serena, and a promise from Serena that she would go to the party. It probably hadn't been easy.

"Chuck, please tell me that you're all right. You're starting to scare me. Nate called and told me that you left Lili with him and went out to do something."

Chuck nodded, clenching his jaw. "I did."

He wasn't going to offer her any information, and judging by the slight irritation in her expression, she knew it too. He would even imagine that she was used to it by now, always having to push. But Blair was good at that.

"Where did you go?" she said after a moment.

"It doesn't matter!" he snapped back. "It's ancient history."

The stupid noise, that ridiculous pinging as they rose another floor, was getting on his nerves. He shifted uncomfortably in the silence, trying not to feel guilty for the bite in his tone.

Blair leaned back against the wall, shaking her head. "Ancient history that _had_ to be dug up again. Right, Chuck? Where did you go? What did you _find_?" She sounded tired and angry, but knowing as well. She had to be aware that even if Chuck had nothing on her, Bart surely did (which, in any normal circumstances, wouldn't have sat well with Chuck at all—Bart had no right to have such an intrusive look into his personal life, or Blair's). And Chuck wouldn't disappoint. He wasn't going to waste time explaining his motives or thoughts about it. She was aware of all of that.

"You tell me how you can be okay with all of this," he demanded in a low voice. "With that son of a bitch."

"I'm not okay with it!" she replied with equal venom. "What do you want me to do, Chuck? Order a hit on him?"

"Sounds more than fitting," Chuck answered, giving it some actual consideration. They reached the floor they were looking for and the doors opened. The hall was empty, this place didn't seem to have the popularity that the Bass hotels acquired, but that was more than likely the reason that Carter had chosen it. Blair stepped out and headed for the room they wanted, but Chuck pulled her back into the alcove they were occupying. "We aren't done talking."

"Carter is waiting," she reminded him.

"Carter can burn in hell," he said furiously. "Believe it or not, I care about _you_."

"I know that!" she exclaimed, not understanding why he would think she didn't. But she didn't know how hard this was for him—to admit it and deal with it all like he'd been doing it for years. Or to begin to love her so fast and hard that he was thrown into the midst of what he couldn't master. For once, he had to let his emotions fuel his every move and it was terrifying.

"That bastard…he was going to video—"

"I know."

"—and send it to me."

"Yes, I know!" Blair hissed, and this time he could see a sheen of tears in her eyes as she put her hands on his arms to placate him so he wouldn't shout, just in case someone happened to be nearby.

He shook his head, unable to look at her pain. He would lose all of his fight if he did. "And what? We should just forget about it? Pretend it never happened?"

But Blair forced him to meet her eyes, her fingers firmly grasping his chin, and beyond the pain he could see the light of determination reflecting back at him. "Years ago, you promised that you'd let me deal with it in my own way, provided that he got what was coming to him eventually. Why do you think we're sending him out this particular way? These men won't play…" she finished grimly.

"Not good enough." Chuck wanted to watch him suffer. He wanted to be there, laughing when Carter was taken down. Blair's idea was too discreet for him.

"It's going to have to be," Blair hand drifted down to grip his, squeezing it reassuringly. "Don't you get it, Bass? He failed all of those years ago. Because Carter could never understand…he underestimate us. He couldn't ruin you, so he moved on. And I don't know why he keeps coming back, but I'm ready to send him out permanently. He isn't going to ever succeed against us, and not at Serena's expense."

Chuck searched her eyes, seeing them clear with something gentle and kind. It was unlike the insecure girl he always knew, and yet it suited her. It felt like home to him. "We end it tonight, Blair."

"I agree," she nodded. "But we won't get anywhere if we don't get to that room right now. We have to make sure that Serena is secure."

Still having some reservations about the plan, he still trailed after her to the door that they needed and watched as she took out the key card. It flashed green and the locked clicked, allowing them entrance and the sureness of Serena's support. He clenched his fist, repeating in his head over and over that it wouldn't do to rip Carter's head off, like he so dearly wanted to. As Blair pushed open the door, Chuck dropped his hand on her shoulder and pulled her back, so he could go in first. She didn't say anything, but released a frustrated breath.

They scanned the room, looking for any sign of Carter. "Maybe he's late too…"

Blair shook her head. "No. He's invested, and he wouldn't keep Serena waiting. I know that much."

Chuck glanced at the neat room and looked over to the left where there was a door that seemed to lead to the bedroom. "You don't suppose he's waiting in there, do you?"

The petite brunette cringed. "Well, if he is, you're the lucky guy who gets to take a peek. I'm not going to look unless I'm sure that nothing will be searing my corneas."

"As you wish," Chuck returned, striding to the door and pulling it open. Blair stood at a distance, waiting, though she needn't have bothered—it was empty. "I think we have a no-show on our hands," he said as Blair joined him at the threshold.

"Wait," she said immediately, pushing past him towards the bedside table. He saw it right before she picked it up: a cream-colored note. When she perused it, her lips curled up in a speculative frown and she stretched the note out for him to read.

It was only two words and the script was unmistakably male: _Nice Try._ Chuck looked up and saw Blair rubbing the side of her neck with one hand, looking lost in thought. "Serena definitely hadn't told him about us hijacking the meeting before she handed the key over to me."

Chuck accepted Blair's judgment call on that. Blair knew Serena better than anyone. "So after?"

Blair shrugged. "But I can definitely tell you where he is right now."

Chuck didn't need an explanation. "That imbecile is like a dog with a bone. He'll be at that old biddy's birthday party. With Serena."

Blair smirked. "Well, I think we're dressed for the occasion, don't you?"

"Too bad we didn't have the foresight to have Lily add us to the guest list," Chuck commented as they headed back towards the elevator, to which Blair looked back in surprise.

"So what? You're Chuck Bass."

As the elevator doors closed, he flashed her his infamous smirk. "I am, aren't I?"

#####################################################################

As Blair predicted, Chuck had no trouble getting them into the festivities. The man at the door didn't even need to be bribed, and Chuck thoroughly enjoyed the look on the man's face when he asked him how he dared not to permit Chuck Bass and his wife to attend the party.

"Let's look for Serena, she's tall and blond and won't be hard to spot," Blair reasoned, walking at a leisurely pace and linking arms with him. She had to wave several people off as they tried to approach, but luckily Blair had had years in order to instill her withering glare onto Manhattan society. Chuck, for one, was grateful. He knew that it was quite possible that they were in a race against time right now. Until a voice stopped them in their tracks.

"Charles, Blair!"

He could hear Blair bite back her groan as they stopped in their tracks and turned to face Lily and Bart, who was at his wife's side with a rather bored expression on his face. Unfortunately, Blair's vicious facial expressions wouldn't work in this instance.

"I'm so glad to see that you're here!" Lily exclaimed, before she frowned in confusion. "But I thought that you wouldn't be able to make it…what about that case, Blair?"

"Oh, it um…" Blair smiled, her eyes still searching. "It wrapped up a lot faster than I had originally thought. Which reminds me, I need a word with Serena and I know that she said she would be here tonight…do you know where she could have gone?"

Bart was now listening to the conversation with rapt attention, and Chuck adamantly refused to meet the intense stare that his father was giving him. He knew the exact measure of disappointment that would be in those cold, blue eyes simply because Chuck was going along with Blair's plan.

Lily nodded, looking to her left, towards a hallway. "She went that way about ten minutes ago, very abruptly, I might add." She put a hand on her cheek. "I hope something hasn't come up, what with all of those problems she's been having with Daniel—"

"Yes!" Blair cut in with false cheeriness. "Serena has been known to have her problems, so I'm going to go and…be supportive and I'll see you later this evening, I'm sure. Bart," she nodded, before turning on her heel and heading the way Lily had indicated.

Both pairs of eyes fell on Chuck, who had been left standing there when the brunette had made her ridiculously hasty exit. Chuck straightened his jacket and coughed. "Well, the two most beautiful women at the party are now in a dark corridor. So, of course, I'll be joining them." He winked at his mildly shocked stepmother and frowning father. "Have a wonderful evening."

He traced Blair's steps into the darkened hall, and the noises from the party began to dim. "B?" He saw her leaning against the wall, very still.

"Here," Blair answered quietly, standing off to the side, looking at the door right next to her. "This sounds familiar."

Chuck came up behind her and listened. The voices were definitely familiar, Serena's soft protests and another voice, more confident and slick. But Chuck wasn't interested in drawing this out. "What could be behind Curtain #1?" he drawled as he pulled the door open.

As prepared as he was for this meeting, he almost shuddered at the sight of Carter, standing there as brazen as ever. The original CB; the one that came before him and Nate and took them under his wing. The person that so many people had compared him with, the man who he took such pride in surpassing. From Carter, he had learned how to give off that distinct air of imperturbability that was trademark. He didn't look much different than the last time Chuck had seen him; he was still slight, but built, the same cool, cobalt eyes and his face had taken on very little wear over the years. The hair was a little more cleanly-cut, but it still gave the appearance of greasiness that Chuck always associated with Carter. He was hovering over a tearful Serena, who was sitting on a bed, clad in a beautiful dress, her make-up ruined beyond repair at this point. He smirked when he saw Chuck and Blair at the door. That smirk gave Chuck the urge to eviscerate him where he stood.

"See, I knew that everybody's favorite Upper East Side couple would catch up eventually. Took you two a little longer than I had expected, but I guess it's true what they say about marriage dulling everything about a person." He was far too smug, and it made Chuck's blood boil.

"And what's your excuse?" Blair asked with the complete guise of politeness. "Because for all of your apparent brilliance, you have very little time left here before you're shipped out once again to parts unknown. And I doubt you'll ever make it back in one piece."

Carter gave Blair a shit-eating grin. "Okay, fine. Maybe marriage didn't dampen your wit, B. But you always talked a good game." Chuck swayed in place to keep his concentration and his temper. Blair's main concern right now was Serena, and she would put up with Carter until she was certain that her best friend wouldn't come to harm. And if Blair wasn't playing, Chuck knew that it was only a matter of time before the asshole would begin goading him. And God help him if he did.

"Blair…Chuck…" Serena intervened before either could reply. She was wiping at her eyes and her voice sounded full and watery. "Please just leave. I can handle Carter."

Chuck snorted. "Looks like it."

But Blair shook her head. "I know he's threatening you, S. You don't have to say anything, because we already know that. You just have to tell me what it is. I'm not leaving you here with him. We're going to settle this now."

"Oh come on, Waldorf! Are really settling this for her or is this all for a…deeper reason?" Carter asked slyly.

"Tread very lightly, Baizen…" Chuck warned quietly and he felt Blair's hand touch his back, knowing what she was trying to communicate. He would do anything to throw them off track.

Blair was refusing to engage Carter, keeping her attention firmly on Serena. "S, you know I love you, no matter what. And I promise that if you want us to, this secret will not make it past the door."

"You can't promise that," Carter said plainly.

"He's right," Serena murmured as Blair went to join her on the bed. "You can't…it's not just about me, Blair. It's about…it affects more…someone you care about, and you'll want—"

"Serena, right now I just care about you," Blair swore. "Just trust me. Don't let Carter have this power over you!"

"Yes!" Carter crowed, knowing that Chuck hadn't taken his eyes off of him the entire time. "Don't reduce me to having to do something like…I don't know… drugging you?"

Both girls let out yells of protest when Chuck grabbed Carter by his collar and slammed him against the nearest wall. Carter didn't even bother to fight, but had an impossibly wide smile on his face as he gasped for air. "I suggest you drop your cute little date-raping remarks for another time, Baizen," Chuck said dangerously through gritted teeth. "Or there won't be anything left when your buddies come for you."

"Chuck! Just ignore him," Blair cried, standing up and wavering between Serena and the two men. "You're reacting exactly the way he wants you to."

Chuck couldn't ignore the truth in that statement, so he regretfully backed off of Carter, letting him go with a final shove. Carter let out a breathless laugh and rubbed his neck. "Bass, when did you get so hands-on?"

"Shut-up!" Blair snapped at him. "Or your expiration date will become marginally shorter."

Carter stared at her amusedly. "Don't worry, Blair. I'll behave…for now. But I wouldn't write me off so quickly, Waldorf. As of now, you've still got quite a problem on your hands. Serena won't tell you her secret, and she never will. But if you and your enraged significant other take a little walk, then Serena and I will finish our deal and I'll be out of your hair for good."

"And why should we believe that? You can't resist coming around to torment us, and as sure as I am that some psychologist could help you get to the root of that, I don't have the inclination to wait for you to get over it."

"Blair, please," Serena said thickly. "Just let it go."

Blair turned back to her blonde best friend, looking a little upset finally. "What changed between when we talked and now that you feel like you can't turn to me, Serena? Do you not see what he is doing to you? He's using your fears to manipulate you, but if you just let me help—"

Serena's eyes widened and she looked truly terrified. Chuck almost felt bad for her, and would have if she hadn't brought Blair into a situation where she would be placed into Carter's orbit again. "I can't, B! I thought…I thought that I could tell you before and maybe…maybe it would be okay, but Carter's right! I'm not just hurting myself and if I tell you now…I just can't do it."

"When have I ever judged you?" Blair asked simply, looking sad as the words came out of her mouth. "When have I refused to help you when you needed it most?" Serena let out a choked sob. "Nothing you could ever do would make any difference. I will always love you. So please, just do this. Do this for me."

"I'm sorry, B," Serena whispered, glancing up at Carter before her eyes went to Chuck. "I know that you thought…that I was doing this for Carter, but I'm not. But something happened when I was with him that I can't take back, and if I tell you now, then Chuck will tell. Chuck will tell him everything."

A/N: More reveals to come! I was surprised to see that many of you were worried that Lili could be Carter's…definitely an interesting (though something that would make many very unhappy, I think) idea, but chronologically impossible, considering that Lili is only 3 or 4 and the incident happened years before that. We are now moving pretty fast and there's still a few things we need to get through! Please review and tell me what you thought! It helps so much!


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: Don't own.

A/N: Once again, thank you all for your awesome reviews! So much appreciated! Now you get to find out Serena's secret after long, painful waiting! And after this, we get lots of Chuck and Blair, so enjoy!

Both Carter and Blair's eyes swiveled over to look at Chuck briefly before turning their attention back to Serena, Blair's gaze looking far more confused than Carter's.

"Chuck would tell who what?" she said slowly, almost impatiently. Carter crossed his arms, watching the exchange between the two women silently, but Chuck could feel the pressure he was exerting on Serena just by the intent look on his face. Serena shook her head.

"It doesn't matter anymore. It's done. It's past and I can't…" she looked at Blair unwillingly. "I can't handle this anymore. Please."

"Then let me handle it, Serena," Blair whispered, stroking her best friend's tear-stained cheek. "If it were over and done, then Carter wouldn't be able to control you with it, would he?"

"But I can't take it back, Blair!" Serena sobbed. "That's why it's—what I've done, if he knew he'd _never_ forgive me!"

Chuck then had a thought that he knew who Serena was talking about, the "he" that Chuck would want to tell, the "he" that Serena had already scorned. But he had to be sure. "You've already given away too much, Serena. And you know that you'll never get out of this room without telling both me and Blair what the hell you're talking about. So just say it, make it easier for yourself. Who are you talking about?"

"Back off, Bass!" Carter warned as Serena hesitated. They both knew that Chuck was right. The truth was going to come out no matter what, and that had been a fact the moment that he and Blair had found the two of them in this room.

"Telling us can't possibly be worse than what you're going through now, S," Chuck said quietly, ignoring the man beside him. Carter could do nothing to stop him now. "Whatever this…guilt you're feeling? It will be better if you let it go. Give it to someone else. Give it to us."

Blair looked up at him, her eyes shining. He thought it to be gratitude, but it was greater than he could describe. Serena's tears quieted as she looked down at the floor, ready to tell them.

"You're being taken for a fool, van der Woodsen," Carter muttered, but it wouldn't so any good. Serena looked defeated.

"Nate. You'd tell Nate," she said. Her voice was almost inaudible with how completely lost she sounded. He could see her mind was running…running back to a place years ago, where Carter took hold of a secret that Serena would never live down. They just didn't know where that was yet. "What I did to him…"

Blair took the lead, then, guiding Serena's speech with all that she knew. "You left him at the altar…but S, he knows that, and he forgives you—"

"He doesn't know everything!" Serena shook her head back and forth, tears streaming down her face. "He doesn't know what I did to _our baby_…"

Her admission was met with an unparalleled silence, like they were all holding their breath, waiting for something, like laughter to come and claim that it was all a huge, cruel joke. But the only thing that broke it was the sound of Serena's shuddering breaths. Even Carter refrained from saying anything, but watched the blonde with a pained expression on his face. He was the only one that was aware of what Serena's explanation would entail.

"Serena," Blair said and she took her friends hand and pulled it towards her, as if she was afraid that Serena would try to bolt now. "What are you talking about? What…baby?" She couldn't keep her voice from shaking on the last word. Fear was clear on her face and Chuck knew that Blair was running through every possibility in her head, hoping for the best scenario and preparing for the worst.

Serena didn't look at any of them, but kept her eyes trained to the ground, speaking softly. "I didn't know. I didn't know I was pregnant when I left, I just…" she swallowed tightly. "The day of the wedding, I knew…I knew I couldn't go through with it. I couldn't marry Nate. And I was so sorry when I thought of his face, if I tried to tell him…the hurt and the disappointment." Her eyes met Blair's briefly and shamefully before dropping again. "I've disappointed so many people in my life, but he never, never looked at me like that. And I knew that if I saw his face when I told him that I would just die. So I ran…I ran and I found Carter."

They all reflexively looked over at the man who had caused such trouble in the past week. But Carter's face was blank and he didn't acknowledge the attention. He merely uncrossed his arms and jammed his hands forcefully into his pockets. "You don't need to do this, Serena."

"It was a month later that I realized," unconsciously, Serena's empty hand fell across her abdomen. "And by then, it was too late. Nate was gone and there was no one to talk to. I was so scared and confused."

"You should have come home," Blair said passionately, squeezing the hand she held. She shook her head. "Oh S, why didn't you come back? We would have taken care of you."

"No," Serena said, letting out a short, watery laugh. "I didn't know what to expect, coming back. I knew that I had made a mistake and that everyone would hate me for it—"

"We wouldn't—"

"Everybody _should_ have hated me for it!" Serena amended sharply. "I was afraid to see any of you, and…oh god, I didn't want that baby! Don't you see, Blair? I didn't want him!"

The crying began anew and Blair pulled Serena into her arms without preamble, allowing Serena to soak her shoulder. Chuck couldn't speak. He wondered what this meant for everyone, for Nate. His best friend always, and the man had a child that he never knew about. "A boy," Chuck muttered under his breath, so quiet that no one else heard it. But what had happened to his nephew? He only had to glance at Serena's miserable face to know that however this story ended, that it was bound to be tragic.

"I wished him dead…" Serena wept. "In the back of my mind, I know I killed him. Because I didn't want him in the first place. I was so screwed-up! I didn't know how to be an adult and then all of the sudden, I was supposed to take care of this little person, something so beautiful that I was just going to ruin! And I tried not to think about him! How perfect he would be…so full of light…"

"Just like his parents," Blair murmured, tears glassing her eyes as she listened to Serena.

"I couldn't go through with it. Get an abortion. I almost did it, but…he was a piece of Nate, and I couldn't do that to him. But I was so scared, Blair. So sure that I would be a bad mother," Serena clenched her eyes shut. "We got the whole way to nine months. I went into labor and I…felt the baby come out and the doctor…but there was no crying," she said hoarsely.

Chuck heard Carter fidget beside him, but he couldn't look away from Serena, feeling terrible for her in a way that he rarely felt for anyone. Blair was biting down on her lip, trying valiantly not to cry, but it was a losing battle, as Chuck noticed a tear trickle down her cheek.

"That's what it took for me to really _want _him," Serena choked out, looking disgusted with herself. "And then, all I could think of was how I couldn't wait to hold him…my little baby…"

"S," Blair said, unable to stand it anymore. "You don't have to…"

"I asked them to let me hold him. But none of them said anything, the nurses, the doctor, no one would give me my baby! No one would tell me anything. And then I knew…I knew that I had lost him."

Tears were now continuously flowing down both girls' faces and Chuck looked away. It was hard to see this and hear it. He had seen Blair with Lili, how much that little girl meant to her and how far she would go to protect her. He had experienced some of it himself. He had known what it was like to feel like one tiny life was in your hands and it was your job to keep it from harm. And when Liliana had latched onto his legs for the first time, he had wanted it either. Carrying a child for nine months and losing it must've been…well, he couldn't quite imagine the extent of how awful it must feel. He wouldn't wish it on anyone.

"Carter had come back to find me," Serena said, rubbing away the moisture from her eyes. "And he told me. My son was stillborn."

There was a piercing bitterness in those words that made Chuck think that Serena was angry at Carter for breaking the news to her. Blair stroked the hair back from Serena's wet face tenderly, sniffling delicately as Serena finished.

"After that, I couldn't think. I didn't want to do anything…I don't know if I even wanted to live. I couldn't talk…I couldn't tell anyone, B. I wasn't sure that I would ever come back here. I thought it might be better for everyone if I just stayed away." Her eyes softened as she spoke the next words. "But then I got your message that you were pregnant…with Liliana and I knew that you would want me there. And I had to come back and give you the support that I wanted. I wanted to live seeing you love that baby from the moment you knew she existed, like I never did for mine. Until it was too late."

Serena looked so heartbroken that Blair clasped her into spontaneous hug, holding her tightly. "Thank you," she whispered. "Thank you for doing that for me." But as she pulled away, her face got more serious.

"Carter will never tell Nate about your baby, Serena. He's through here. We just had to make sure that whatever he held over your head wasn't anything that he could hold over your head if we got rid of him."

"B…" Serena protested weakly. She still didn't look convinced. "There's more."

Chuck groaned loudly, drawing everyone's attention. But he couldn't help it, this had gone far enough. "You have to be kidding me! What does this waste possibly have over on you additionally?"

Blair gave him a look, but he didn't bother with it. "I've just about had it with this son-of-a-bitch and if you don't give me one good reason in the next fifteen seconds, I'm going to see his body dumped in the Hudson."

"I'm pretty sure that's a threat that I could report to the police, Bass," Carter replied calmly, while Blair glared.

"Don't worry, Carter. We have a little more creativity than that. You won't have _time_ to go to the police, and you won't have to worry about law enforcement where you're going."

"All these veiled threats," Carter replied. "Don't you ever get tired of it?"

"You should talk. We just found out that there's yet another thing that you're using to manipulate Serena," Blair put in, looking over. "Tell us what it is, S."

"Serena, think about this for a minute—"

"Shut up, Baizen!"

"Carter called me about a month ago, saying he had something to tell me," Serena said, taking a few breaths to calm herself. "He told me that it was all a lie, that my…my baby was alive. He said that they took the baby away and he was given up for adoption."

"But why would they do that?" Chuck questioned, not trusting this for a moment. Carter didn't say anything still, but looked at Serena and waited with an odd look on his face, one that Chuck couldn't describe. Blair, for her part, looked very leery of this too.

"I don't know," Serena sobbed. "But Carter told me that he knew where my little boy was and that he would tell me where he was if I went away with him."

"And if you didn't, then he would tell Nate that you had his baby all those years ago," Blair guessed. If looks could kill, Carter Baizen would have died a torturously painful death under Blair's icy gaze. Chuck was clenching and unclenching his fists, not trusting himself to say anything yet. When in fucking hell had Carter Baizen become so warped? What in his life had gotten him to this place where he freely played with people like they were all puppets in his master game?

"Tell her the truth about her kid, Carter," Chuck said suddenly, turning to him with cool fury. He was going to call Baizen's bluff. He knew enough about lying to know what this was: a ploy to get Serena to stay with him by any means. Chuck didn't believe that there was any living child of Nate and Serena's walking around. All he had gathered from this entire thing was that Serena and Nate had a few things to settle and Carter was a lying scumbag who didn't deserve to live. "I've been in contact with a few men that are very anxious to see you. The way they tell it, you owe them quite a bit of money," he couldn't keep the mirthless smile off of his face as he watched Carter's face pale. "And your deadline is up."

Blair was now regaining her composure from Serena's admission and Chuck could see her claws coming out. She gave him the barest of glances before looking to Carter. "From what I've heard, Mommy and Daddy have cut you off, yes?"

"So I suggest you talk fast, Baizen," Chuck finished, pulling out his phone. "All I have to do is press the green button."

Carter looked between them, knowing it was all a gamble. He wasn't Serena or Nate and he could run with the best of them. He knew that Chuck and Blair could bluff far too convincingly, but they were also just as expert with their follow-through. It only took him a few seconds to realize that they were dead serious. With a mocking nod, he conceded to them and turned to Serena.

"The baby..." he took a deep breath and corrected himself. "Your baby…it was a stillborn. And if it really isn't, then I know nothing about it."

"You're disgusting!" Blair snarled, while Serena looked at him almost quizzically, but clearly hurt.

"How could you do that?" Serena breathed and Carter turned away from the look on her face. "After knowing what—what happened and what I went through? And all those months? How _sick_ do you have to be?"

Chuck was sure that he was the only one that saw it: that brief, but visible look of pain and shame that crossed Carter's face for an infinitesimal moment. Unfortunately, it didn't matter to him. Not one bit. And if Carter were to feel the pain of this for the rest of his life it wouldn't be nearly enough. But Carter rallied in the next second and met Serena's stare baldly.

"You heard them, _S_. My parents have cut me off, I find myself in trouble, and you have money…lots of it," he accentuated it all with a harsh laugh, and Chuck didn't actually know how he managed it.

Serena clenched her eyes shut for a moment as a few tears squeezed out. After all the pain, and all of those years keeping it tucked away and running away to safe arms…to Dan, it couldn't all become such a travesty, a manipulation of one of the worst moments of her life. Carter would make her hate him. If she could just believe it.

"Why should I believe you now?" she finally said, causing Blair to look sharply sideways at her. "You've lied before; you've lied a thousand times, so what makes this so special?"

"I think the fact that we've threatened to tell several extremely angry Russians his whereabouts when he doesn't have the means to pay them off," Chuck said flatly. He didn't want Serena hanging on to this delusion. More hurt was not what she needed right now.

Serena began shaking her head. "He could still be lying, Chuck. You don't know. And that's the problem with this whole thing. I can't know until…"

Blair was watching her. "Sweetie, maybe you just need time…to think about it. Don't do anything yet. Not now. What I really think you should do is," she looked at Serena sincerely, trying to convey her support. "Talk to Nate."

At this, Serena stood up and backed away from the bed, turning her head furiously. "No, no, no, no, no! I can't! Not after all this time, B!"

"Now's the perfect time," Blair replied gently. "You need to work this out, Serena. All of it. And properly."

"I've told you, it can't be fixed!" The blonde was panicking. "And what if our child is really out there? Then what? And what about Dan—oh god!" Serena put a hand to her mouth. "Dan…he'll never understand this. He won't—" she stopped abruptly and then moved towards the door. "I need to find him. Talk to him."

"Talk to Nate first," Chuck said firmly as she moved to leave. None of them tried to stop her. Serena was on her way to getting things out in the open, to healing. They needed to give her that. But Chuck knew that Nate deserved the same courtesy and the whole truth. And if Serena wasn't going to do it by choice, then Chuck would have to look out for his friend. "If you don't tell him, then I will."

Her back was to him as she stood at the door. And the only answer she gave him was the sound of the door closing. When it did, Carter looked at him coldly. "That was nice, Bass. Really good."

"Nate's my best friend," Chuck said. Even though he didn't know this motherfucker an explanation, he knew that Blair was probably thinking along the same lines as Carter. "He needs to be able to mourn his child too. And don't pretend like you give a damn."

"And what about you?" Carter demanded of Blair, looking over at her. "You're just going to let her go off like that? After everything that just happened, _that's_ what you're going to do?"

It took the span of two seconds for Chuck to turn violently and get in Carter's face, his voice deathly quiet. "Don't. Speak. To. Her. Don't even look at her."

Carter's smirk was a wasteland, as he took a step back from the angry Bass. He didn't even care. "C'mon Chuck. It's over between us. It's not worth it anymore, and it hasn't been for a while."

The blood was pounding in his head as he fought for justice that he couldn't remember needing and a girl he couldn't remember falling for. Somehow it was all just as real. It didn't matter anymore, because the anger was there and it was strong. "As I recall, you got away, didn't you? You should have known that I wouldn't forget and that somehow, someway you were going to _pay_. It's the one thing I really know how to do and boy, are you going to feel it, Baizen."

Blair finally rose from the bed and her hands were on his arm, trying to pull him away. "Chuck…" But he wouldn't allow her to move him. He had other plans.

Carter scoffed dryly. "Do it. What does it matter? After I told her the truth, she barely even fucking looked at me! I've got nothing to lose anymore, and you know what? That makes me more dangerous than any other time I've been around." His eyes dropped to Blair's figure, standing just behind Chuck, her mouth a set line and her eyes darker than before. "S was the hotter one, the wild one, the fun one…but Blair here? She's the stronger one, the icy one, the pure and beautiful one." He got closer to Chuck, a glint in his eye. "You want to make this a war? This can be high school again, Bass. And I'll break the only thing that poor little rich boy Chuck Bass ever loved, ever gave a damn about. It's not so hard to rip you to shreds, Bass. You just have to do it all to _her_."

Chuck didn't remember thinking about it. He just felt his arm muscles tighten and contract as they swung. He heard Blair shout to him and the impact of his fist hitting Carter's jaw. But none of that was actually there with him. He had to do this. He couldn't stop.

Carter was on the ground, not even trying to fight. And Chuck just kept hitting. He had never gotten physical in his life; he had never seen the point in it. Now he did. Now he wanted this miserable bastard to get it delivered by his own hands, but only for Blair. She was the only one the made it worth the effort.

He felt Blair, her small hands on his shoulders as she attempted to pull him off, shouting insistently. He couldn't understand what she was saying because it made no difference. He wasn't going to stop.

"Chuck!" It was a different voice this time. One that was very familiar, but completely unexpected. Blair's hands were gone and he looked up to see his father standing next to Blair, his expression as hard as ever.

His hand ached and Carter was bleeding and the blood was on his hand, too. He stood up and stared at Bart. "What are you doing here?"

"I saw Serena leave looking distressed and I was beginning to wonder what exactly was going on. So I went the direction she came and heard Blair shouting. Thank god you aren't close enough to the party to cause a disturbance." Bart said this all in an even monotone, looking only at his son.

"Oh yes, thank _god_," Chuck said sarcastically, sick to death of the pretense. "But I have things under control in here and you have nothing to worry about."

"Why can't we just stick to the plan?" Blair snapped at him, before Bart could get a word in. "Unless you'd like to pound his face in some more?"

But Bart seemed to agree with her anyway. "I knew you'd do something like this, Chuck. That's why I _told_ you to—"

"After all this scum has done to Serena and to _you_," Chuck growled. "Don't tell me you wouldn't like to see the shit kicked out of him?" He directed his focus on Blair so his father might just take the hint and walk away. No such luck.

"I like the effective route. The one that expends the least energy and gets the most done." Blair responded. Chuck hated the amount of truth in her words. He hated it even more when Bart gave his daughter-in-law an admiring glance.

Carter was sitting up. His mouth was bleeding and one of his cheeks was swelling, but he still didn't look too fazed. His eyes were dead. "I told Serena the truth. You said you weren't going to screw me over unless I ran my deal with her." It was a statement. There was no particular feeling behind them and Chuck got the impression that Carter wasn't too desperate. He wished that he was.

"Excuse me if I don't feel compelled to keep my promise," Chuck told him curtly. He sent a quick text message and closed his phone. "I wish you the best of luck with your friends, especially since I've heard that those underground gambling rings have become fond of lopping off a body part or two for those who can't pay large debts. I've given them a list of some of my personal choices for you, the parts I feel you could do without. But we'll see what's in the cards." Carter stood up, without much of a reaction to the news. He seemed resigned.

"Now, I don't really care either way, but it might be a good idea for you to wait for them outside so we don't cause a scene. You could even try to run. I heard they like that. And if you manage to survive and you _ever_ come near my wife again, you will wish you _hadn't_ lived."

Carter half-shrugged and started walking to the door, wiping his mouth as he went. "Nobody gets a happy ending, Bass. You've known that from the moment you started up with me. You'll destroy it eventually. Don't worry."

The room was silent when he left. Chuck got some satisfaction out of knowing that he wasn't going to get out of this one. He faced Bart and Blair, two people who could read him like a book (as much as he hated to admit it) and marveled in the fact that they couldn't see the difference. For some reason, the two of them standing side-by-side just struck him. He was fooling everyone so well that he was beginning to believe it himself. And he believed that he knew them, too.

"Well Dad, the show's over. And since you didn't stop me, I assume that you approve?"

Bart didn't respond, but he didn't appear as unreachable as he had when he first entered the room. Chuck could have predicted that he wouldn't answer. Bart would never incriminate himself to his son like that. "As long as you aren't striking up bad publicity, I could care less what you feel you have to do." That was the best he was going to get, but it was good enough. "Lily will probably be looking for me, as I left rather suddenly. I should return. You two have a good night."

Serena was gone. Carter was gone. Bart… Chuck looked at Blair, alone with her for the first time in a few hours, feeling like it had been a lifetime. She had become suddenly and strangely quiet. It bothered him, but he didn't know how to figure out the reasons for it. After everything that had happened, he didn't know what to do when there was nothing else. He had thought that their scheming and their uncanny ability to blow the Upper East Side to pieces would feel just like old times. But it didn't.

It was all that much better and heated and different in a way that he could only dare describe as growing to love someone. To do it all while Blair remained irreplaceably at the top of his mind was something that hadn't been there before. It was incredible.

"We should go," she finally said, her voice soft. "We can take care of your hand at home."

It soothed him to know that after this situation with Carter and Serena and Nate that she was thinking only about him, too. But as they left together, his intuition started to kick in. They were done with their mission and they had won. Now it was just Chuck and Blair after a victory.

Something had to happen when they reached the penthouse. He couldn't help but feel it coming.

A/N: Chuck and Blair all alone up next! I hope you liked it and what's to come!


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: Don't own.

A/N: I am terribly sorry for the huge delay…I usually wouldn't bother to give a reason, but this one constitutes of ending up in the hospital. I had pretty serious asthma as a kid that went away when I was older; so imagine my surprise when a standard head cold brought it all back. After going to the hospital, getting nebulized (it really isn't as awful as it sounds), getting new medication and all that stuff, I am finally well enough to be a functioning human being again. Of course, now my school work is WAY behind and I'm playing a huge game of catch-up. So I planned to drop in and post this because I know you've all been waiting patiently (or impatiently) for this chapter. I haven't gotten a chance to respond to your reviews (which were incredible and I thank you), but if and when I find the time, I will try and do that. So please enjoy the story, and I'm really sorry for keeping all of you waiting!

Eleven minutes of complete silence. Chuck had been counting since they had both slid into the limo, Blair following Chuck from the party. She was probably just grateful that the whole scene they had undergone had occurred away from prying eyes. He couldn't imagine what she would have done if he had attacked Carter in front of everyone. He had attacked Carter. It had been six hundred and twenty-two seconds. He counted the seconds because he couldn't believe that he had actually hit someone. He didn't want to think about why he did it.

They entered the penthouse and Chuck turned to Blair, intending to say something, he didn't know what, but he was sure that once he opened his mouth that something would have to come out. But she was making this so difficult.

"I'll go get some ice for that," she said, walking briskly towards the kitchen.

"Can't you let someone else do that?" Chuck called after her, annoyed, but she paid him no mind and continued walking away. "Blair!" She was gone. And soon, she would be permanently gone from his life, at least in this way. And somewhere along the line, that had become an inconceivable prospect.

He knew he was leaving this place…this future, soon. He didn't know what had changed to make him so certain, but he could _feel_ it.

He sat on the couch and waited for her to return, thinking about the little that he knew about _their _relationship—Blair and Chuck's. At least once a day he had wondered what had really happened to get them here. Marriage and a kid, Nathaniel safely out of the way, Bart approving, Blair happy…Chuck happy.

He heard her heels clicking on the tile as she returned, perching herself on the footrest in front of him so she could apply the ice to his hand. He felt a jolt when her fingers unclenched his fist and drifted onto his open palm, caressing there. The sting of the ice was somehow relieving under her touch, but she wouldn't even look at him.

"What are you thinking about?" he finally asked, watching her face and memorizing it. All of the sudden he was wondering if she would ever look the same to him again, when he was back where he was supposed to be. Honestly, he didn't even know what that meant anymore. Because this felt so right.

"You," she replied simply. "You're an idiot." She punctuated her point by pressing the ice harder onto his knuckles.

But she was right. The old Chuck Bass would never have resorted to violence of this sort. He didn't know what he had become under her…under _this_ Blair.

"Maybe I am," he conceded. "But don't pretend that it doesn't get you all hot and bothered…"

That was enough to force her to meet his eyes for a moment, but there was a strange darkness in her face. "Oh, you aren't the first man to punch out Carter Baizen for me, Chuck."

He was confused for a moment before he realized what she was implying. That was right, Nathaniel had gotten the honor first, so his PI report claimed. His stomach clenched violently for the slightest second before he remembered something else. According to Blair that first night, the one where they were in the limo on their way to Bart's party, he had gotten the better honor. He had gotten her virginity.

He lifted his other hand, putting it on her wrist and staying her movements, her attempts to take care of his bruised knuckles. "Blair…"

He hadn't meant it to sound so pleading, so insistently emotional, but when she met his eye he knew that she had noticed something. He looked at her beautiful neck, watched her swallow. He wondered how many times his counterpart had stared at her, watched her move, watched her while she slept. Completely memorized her.

"Tell me about us."

The question seemed to startle her and she pulled her hand from his. Chuck sat back as she stood and frowned at him, her gaze somewhat suspicious. "What do you mean?" She shook her head and smiled. "Tell you about us? You already know everyth—"

"Blair," he interrupted, unable to continue this charade outright anymore. This time, it was him who swallowed.

He almost told her everything. He wasn't her husband and he wasn't positive whether he was from the past or from another place all together. He didn't know how to be a father. He didn't know anything about Bass Industries. He didn't remember marrying her, or holding her hand when she gave birth to Lili, or the night he took her virginity. Or falling in love with her.

"Tell me about the night in the limo. The first time we slept together. I want to hear it from you, if I…" he didn't know how to articulate what he was thinking, "if I made you feel like—"

"It was perfect!" Blair protested before he could get the words out, and his heart skipped a beat when he saw the unshed tears shimmering in her eyes. She had known what he was asking and relief flooded into him and healed him in places he didn't know were broken. If he had slept with her around the time he had been thrown into this other world…he knew how callous he could be with the women he slept with. He hadn't wanted that for her, especially not for her first time.

Her eyes dropped contemplatively and she walked away from him, to the window looking out at the city. "It wasn't supposed to happen, was it? That night…" Chuck could only see her back, her shoulders shivering suddenly. "I was so upset about Nate, I just wanted somebody to care. You did that…did you know? When we kissed…I wasn't planning on sleeping with you. I was looking for an escape. You weren't part of the plan, Chuck. You were…" she trailed off, probably trying to think of what exactly he had been at the time. A friend? Yes, but he was Nate's first. A partner? Even though Blair found the partnership a little unsavory, there was no denying it. She couldn't have known what he would become to her, she didn't think anyone would have predicted it. Now, it seemed so terribly obvious. Like fate had played a terrible joke when it first connected her with the best friend of the love of her life.

"And then you looked at me…like you wanted me. Like I was giving you something that was precious and finally I thought that maybe I deserved it. Maybe I deserved to have someone look at me the way you were in that moment before. And then you asked me if I was sure." The light that shone through the window exposed the tear that drifted down her face. Chuck remembered idly thinking that Blair always cried pretty. Granted, he hadn't seen it very often, but when she cried, it wasn't Serena's wet mess or that freshman Jenny's annoying whiney cry. She managed to be composed and heartbreaking all at the same time. "I told you later that I regretted it. I was lying. The moment you asked me, gave me the respect that…I _knew_ you hadn't given before, I knew that I was doing the right thing. I was lucky. My first time was with someone I loved."

"Did you…love me?" He had to ask, even though he was wary of what the answer would be. If this wasn't long after her break-up with Nathaniel, it stood to reason that she probably wasn't too happy about it in the morning. Blair didn't let go of her life plans quite so easily. You pretty much had to detach her with the Jaws of Life. She might have even hated him for it.

Blair paused long enough for everything inside him to wilt. Of course, she hadn't loved him then. What had he been back then? Certainly not someone worthy of love. Never that. And it scared him that in order to deserve her love, he would have to drop all of his presuppositions. He would have to be able to love her back. Maybe that was possible, but could it be done without pain on both ends? Could he do it without destroying her once, twice, more times than he could count? How could he even expect her to understand it? They may have been alike, but at least she understood what it was to be loved. Before he was sent here, he had never experienced it. He wasn't even sure if he could trust it now.

"I'm not…" she stopped. "Maybe I did. I loved you in some way, whether I would have ever admitted it then. I don't think I was _in_ love with you. Not yet. I don't know when it…stopped being about Nate and started…to be about you. I spent most of my time trying to fight it, when we were sneaking around behind Nate's back."

"We did that?" Chuck couldn't help but exclaim. He could hardly believe it. He wasn't straight with his best friend from the beginning; he had _allowed_ himself to be Blair's dirty little secret. How quickly did she sink her claws into him before he was at her mercy?

Blair spun on her heel to face him when he said that. She came back towards him, knelt next to him and put a hand to his cheek. Suddenly, he felt like a little boy, flinching against her warmth.

"Who are you?"

Not her husband. Not the father of her child. And she had known…for a long time. She just kept letting it go. It was funny, when even before when he felt so uncomfortable and had to just stumble through the day, she never pushed those feelings. But he knew her. Half of her probably realized how crazy and unbelievable it was. The other half, the part of her that instinctively sensed something was wrong, kept silent because maybe, at the end of the day, he was good enough. Even if he wasn't hers.

He blinked, pulled away from her touch and looked away, frowning. He knew what to say. He knew exactly what to say to her…and it was the complete truth, the only way he could tell her. At least it was the truth now. If he had to go back, he might have to convince himself that he lied in order to survive the thought of Nate touching her. He would have to lie to himself when she wanted to scheme with him, when they were at parties, when she looked at him. He didn't want to think about that now. But fear was flooding into every part of him. Damned if he did and damned if he didn't.

His mouth felt thick, like he was trying to speak underwater. But the words came out surprisingly firm. "I love you."

He looked at her when her hands framed his face once more and she nodded, tears slipping down her cheeks. She closed her eyes and pushed her forehead gently against his, taking a deep breath. "I know," she whispered. "That's why…"

"How many times has he broken your trust, Blair? How many times has he made you think that he didn't love you because he was a fucking coward? How many times has he hurt you?" He kissed her hard before jerking away and standing up, his fists clenched. But she followed right after him, her hands gently clutching the back of his shirt where he stood with his back to her, wishing he was capable of loving properly with the force of all this feeling.

"A lot," she answered brokenly, and he shuddered. "More than I thought I could stand, at times. But it isn't just...it's us—we just…" She paused, her words raw. "I could never trade a second of it. Not for anything. Even the worst times, when I didn't want to feel it anymore, because that's when I knew how strong it was. Someday you'll know what I mean, Chuck. I know you will."

She nearly jumped back when he swung around, gripping the tops of her arms, a lost smile on his face, one that she hadn't seen in years. He sounded so terribly desperate, so unlike himself. "It's too late for that, Blair! Show me! I don't want to go back there to before all of this and make a huge mistake—" Suddenly, her tongue had slipped between his lips, stopping his pleading, hot and insistent, proving to him once and for all that he had never been matched by anyone except her. He held on to her slender shoulders for dear life, pulling her closer so there could be nothing in between them.

They were stumbling…stumbling back into the bedroom. Her small hands were making quick work of his jacket, prying at the buttons of his shirt. He was on fire, moving backwards faster than either of them had the balance for, nearly falling as the backs of his legs hit the bed. His hand wrapped around her waist, pressing his furious breath into her neck as he nearly tore her dress off. She raked her nails gently against his back, muttering things that he couldn't understand…or didn't care to at the moment.

He couldn't understand how he could feel like he was in such a fog…and be able to take in so much of her with preternatural clarity. He never wanted to stop looking at her. He wanted to possess her in that moment forever, when she was above him, her breasts pressing against his chest, heaving with exertion. Their breath intermingled drunkenly as he finally pushed into her, far beyond coherent thought.

They moved against each other perfectly, and he was overwhelmed with amazement that it could be like this with Blair Waldorf, Queen of Constance and virgin extraordinaire. They swallowed each other's moans, before Chuck swiftly changed their positions, pinning her beneath him.

He kissed the tops of her breasts, her stomach, his hands molding themselves continuously to her body, feeling everything. When he ran his mouth along her neck, she craned away to give him better access. The soft, white flesh there was addicting, smelling like strawberries and something else

She was so achingly beautiful. He had always thought that, in passing, when she would smile, when other people would remark on it. She was indisputably gorgeous, but he had never seen her like this. There wasn't a word for it, nothing was enough to describe how he felt, looking down at her as her eyes fluttered and she threw her head back, her dark hair tumbling over the sheets. He wanted to die, then. He could have died happy.

There was no point to living a moment beyond this. Fuck him, he didn't want to go back. He knew he was selfish, but he had never pretended that he wasn't. Her hands dug mercilessly into his back as he went over the edge, and he let out a guttural yell and clenched his eyes shut, opening them quickly again to see her eyes widen and meet his, the remnants of a tear just drying on her pale cheek. "Oh god…"

He collapsed, dropping quickly to one side to avoid crushing her, but she linked their hands as she attempted to catch her breath. His hand froze for a moment before he relaxed and curled his palm around hers. It was still strange and new to him. For a while, they laid there, staring up at the ceiling together with their fingers interlocked.

"Blair. Were you telling the truth? When you said that you wouldn't trade it…for anything?"

She tilted her head towards him and nodded. Her cheeks were still flushed, but she crept closer to him without releasing his hand, dropping her head against his shoulder. "Do you remember our first week together? It was after your father's wedding to Lily and we went to Tuscany?"

Chuck remained resolutely silent, and she smiled gently, though she could barely figure out what was going on. "I remember that you got delayed. I went ahead on the Bass jet and you took a late flight after you spoke to your dad."

He frowned. "Why are you bringing this up?"

"Because…from the moment you sent me that text, telling me that you were going to be late, I didn't believe you were going to come at all."

Chuck looked at her, his expression empty. "But I did come…?"

She nodded slowly. "Yes…I think that was when…" She stopped and pulled herself up so she could meet his eyes. "I didn't expect you to be perfect, Chuck. God knows neither of us are. But…when I saw you walk through that door in Tuscany…I realized that you weren't playing games with me. You wouldn't toy with me or test me. And no matter what you've done since, I've known that you didn't do it because you didn't care enough. And even if we fought that _entire_ vacation…" she laughed lightly. "You were there to fight with me…for me."

Chuck's gaze was clouded as he ran a finger along her cheek. "I could really screw this up, couldn't I?"

Blair dropped her eyes for a second, as if acknowledging the possibility of a younger Chuck doing the wrong thing…ruining their future. But then they were back with an almost playful glint. "If you trust me, your chances stand to improve…you don't always do that. But maybe I should tell you a secret."

"What?"

"That no matter what you've told yourself and what you think about what I'm about to say…it's true. And it will _always_ be true." Her face grew serious again. "You pretend that you don't want to be loved, Chuck. You've wanted it since before you can remember. And you do try your damndest to destroy all vestiges of feelings that people may have for you…but you do it because you're trying to destroy yourself. And then you're sorry for it later; when it could be too late." She shook her head at him, a rueful smile passing her lips, one that was indicative of all the experience she had with any one of him. "Save yourself the grief, Chuck."

He believed that she knew him well enough to make that judgment and tell him where he always went wrong. He just didn't know if it would be possible for him to…stop and remember what she was saying, anytime he felt like turning his back on the world, or lashing out to destroy everything he cared about. He hoped that this time—with Blair…with Lili, would be enough.

"When am I going to get him back?"

She spoke so softly, that he almost didn't hear her. But she didn't sound terribly upset, like he thought she would, instead it was something like nostalgia. He guessed that there were things between Blair and Other Chuck that he would never understand, at least not for a long time. "Do you miss him?"

She smiled beautifully with understanding that was a testament to everything that she was to her husband...and him. "A little bit…but, I haven't really lost him, have I?"

He loved her so fucking much. Damn her, she had ruined him. And he could not fucking care less. He reached up, pushing her hair back behind her ear, feeling ridiculously content for once. "No, you haven't."

A/N: Well…I wrote most of this when I was rather sick, so if it's substandard…or maybe sounds rushed, I apologize. But I do hope you liked it! Review and let me know! :)


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: Don't own anything.

A/N: Yes, I know…it's been twenty thousand years since my last update. Real life kind of got in the way…and I'm sorry for leaving everyone hanging. Thanks to **Krism, **who kind of gave me a kick in the pants and inspired me to get back to the story. This chapter is rather long, though, so don't hate me too much! You probably weren't expecting the end to come so soon, but we have this chapter and then an epilogue! That is…if anyone is reading, anymore…which, if you are…thanks for your patience! And don't forget to review to tell me what you think! **By the way, the flashback portion might be difficult to follow, but it's meant to be a little abstract, so just bear with me :)**

Chapter 17:

"The second time."

His body was turned into hers, idly drawing circles on her flawless shoulder as he frowned in confusion. He didn't even remember it, but she told him that it was the night of her seventeenth birthday, after Nate had broken her heart. He brought her the Erikson Beamon necklace, one she still wore for special occasions. Or so she said. "Why the second?"

"Because it was the first time I wanted you. Or that I _realized _that I wanted you, I guess. Not that you would have known that back then," she admitted as Chuck laughed smugly, prompting her to whack him on the arm none-too-softly. "Basstard."

His hand closed around her wrist to stay her movements and he leaned in towards her ear. "But you're lying," he said with certainty.

"Oh really?"

"Yes," he released her arm and laid back on the bed. "You knew you wanted me before then."

Blair raised her eyebrows. "I'm pretty sure that's not the way it happened, Bass. I found you repugnant for most of my youth, I'm sorry to say."

Chuck shook his head. "Come on, Waldorf. You _know_ who I am. Your claim is impossible."

He received an unwilling giggle for that remark, and she smiled in that way that made him feel like he could just look at her forever. "I know who you are…" He felt his body tense as her fingers danced a little lower on his stomach. Then, disappointment washed over him as she pulled away and sighed pensively. "You don't say that as much as you used to."

"I don't?"

"He doesn't. '_I'm Chuck Bass…'_" She mimicked the words smoothly, dropping her voice. Her brow furrowed and she traced his face delicately, thinking. "Nobody needs reminding."

He caught her hand, brought it to his lips. OtherChuck had so much, had things that he couldn't even begin to understand. And no matter how long Chuck stayed here, he could feel the borrowed time inside a life that wasn't really his and that might never be… if he wasn't careful. Under his grip, Blair's fingers curled back into a fist. He wouldn't look her in the eye. She could always read him.

"What's wrong?"

Chuck was saved the agony of answering when there was a clamoring out in the foyer and a tiny, whining voice. Blair straightened, having zoned in on the sound of her daughter's annoyance, and moved quickly out of bed, grabbing for her robe. "Lili? Chuck, I thought you said—"

"I did say," Chuck cut across her, seriously pissed off at the incompetence of his best friend. "And it just goes to show you how well something gets taken care of when an Archibald is running things."

"You endorsed him," she smugly pointed out as she slipped on her light, silk covering.

"Well, remind me _not_ to when the next election rolls around, Waldorf."

Their daughter's demanding voice was becoming more and more clear, and Chuck hurried for his own robe before the child barged in. "No, Uncle Nate! Daddy wanted you to keep me! I knowed that's what he wanted!"

Chuck stuffed a chuckle back down his throat at Blair's horrified expression.

"'Knowed'? That isn't even past tense!" she murmured to herself. "What is that place teaching her?"

"She's three, B. I'm sure her grammar will improve by the time she's four and the other kids are only beginning to string full sentences together."

Blair ignored him. "I'm going to have Dorota write a letter to those idiots. When you did that background check, you were certain that _everyone_ in their employ had received a proper, top-tier education?"

Chuck wasn't sure how to respond to that, but she kept looking at him expectantly, so he lied. "Yeah, absolutely."

Blair rolled her eyes and Liliana took that moment to burst through the door. "Mommy, Uncle Nate doesn't want me anymore!" One small hand closed around the material of Blair's robe and the other pointed accusingly at Nathaniel, who was cautiously approaching the door.

"Does she always just come into your room like that? Because if she does, then I'm amazed she hasn't gotten a real eyeful of—"

"Shut it, Archibald," Blair snapped before lifting her daughter into her arms.

"And if you were _so_ concerned about my daughter's viewing pleasure, then why is she here, Nathaniel?" Chuck demanded, crossing his arms. Blair was smirking at him, and he figured that he probably looked like an overprotective father or something. He expected Nate to be cowed, but surprisingly, the muscles tightened on his handsome face and his eyes grew darker. When he spoke, his voice was low and angry.

"Serena came by."

Chuck suppressed a grimace, but Blair stilled as she tilted her head towards Nate, looking slightly abashed. And Chuck knew that Blair, as well as he, had already forgotten the whole mess with Serena. They had been so involved in their own (admittedly, crazy and confusing) drama that they'd forgotten what would happen if Serena threw this all on Nate at once. "Oh."

At the utterance, Nate gave Blair a sharp look that made Liliana visibly stiffen in her mother's arms, aware of the sudden tension in the room. "Did you know?" Her first love was looking at her accusingly, knowing that if Serena had really told _anyone_, it would have been Blair.

"No, Nate…" she answered softly, and the look in her eyes was more patient and sympathetic than Chuck was accustomed to seeing. But Nathaniel didn't ask that damning hypothetical…the burning question, _if she had known would she have told him_?

_No_, was the truth of it. She would have ranged herself firmly on Serena's side, keeping her dirtiest, most shameful secrets. And Nate was as wholly aware of that as Chuck was. So he didn't ask.

"Carter was the only other person that knew," Chuck added darkly, turning Nate's attention away from Blair. He crossed his arms and gave his best friend an apologetic look. "But I'm guessing you knew that already."

"What's everybody talking about?" Lili asked as Nate walked a few paces away, just outside the bedroom door, and slammed his fist against a column. The noise reverberated in the room and Liliana valiantly stifled a gasp. Chuck's head hurt at how much that little girl reminded him of Blair, even when frightened. That façade of bravery…it reminded Chuck of another little girl from long ago.

"Nothing, darling," Blair answered her nonchalantly, straightening the child's collar. "Why don't you ask someone in the kitchen for some milk and cookies, would that be good?"

Liliana made a grumble of half-hearted agreement as Blair set her down, but perceptive as she was, she seemed to know better than to argue. Nate didn't speak until she was well out of earshot.

"That's why we don't _know_ anything." Nate hissed angrily. He rubbed a hand through his already tousled hair before clenching a handful as if he was going to rip it from his head. "Carter could have fucking shipped my kid off anywhere—"

Blair frowned and took a step toward Nate at the same time Chuck put out quelling hands. "Woah, woah, what are you talking about, man?" He didn't want to hurt him, God knew. But was it possible that Serena still _hadn't _told him the truth, or was still harboring some delusions about her baby. "Look…the—the baby…your son…he was—"

"Don't tell me what you _think_ happened," Nate growled. "Were you there? Huh? Don't fucking talk to me about my kid, Chuck."

"Serena is devastated, Nathaniel. She's believing what she wants to believe, because then it might just hurt less." Chuck wasn't about to be deterred from this one. "Carter fed her a line, just the way he always does—"

"And what if he didn't?" Nate demanded, wild-eyed. "What if there is a possibility—and there is a possibility—that Carter was telling the truth for once in his sorry life? Tell me, man, if it was Lili, somewhere out there…what would you do?" He gestured furiously toward the door Liliana had gone through only moments ago. "How far would you go to get that beautiful little girl back?"

To the very depths of Hell, no big deal.

Chuck reached out, putting a heavy hand on his best friend's shoulder. "It's not the same," he said quietly. "You don't…don't you see what you're setting yourself up for?"

Nate flung Chuck's hand away, but braced himself against Chuck's shoulders, trying to convey his words. "A _chance_. Don't you get it?" He shoved Chuck back, who took the force calmly, stepping back a few paces. "You're a hypocrite. You _wouldn't_ be saying this…if the chance was on Blair or Lili. You wouldn't."

Chuck didn't answer. As true as that may be, they were dealing with Carter and Serena. And Chuck didn't want his best friend to hurt even more.

"You should go…" came a husky, tentative voice.

Nate stared at Blair in surprise, as if he had forgotten that she was standing there. Then, his face softened a fraction. Her eyes were large and there were slender tear tracks fresh on her cheeks. "What?" he asked hoarsely. Chuck knew then that he had expected the opposition, Chuck and Blair ranged against him on this. And to be honest, Chuck had presumed the same thing.

"I'm sorry, Nate… And I don't want you to have to regret anything needlessly. Because I know…you'll wonder. You'll wonder for the rest of your life if you don't. I'm sorry." She took a few steps toward where he was rooted. "It wasn't fair. None of this was fair. Especially to you."

At that, fresh pain blossomed on the young senator's face and his eyes sank to the ground. Chuck watched this strange tableau, as Older Blair closed in on Older Nate and raised a hand to his cheek. They looked good together, admittedly, even in their mutual sorrow. But they also looked wrong. And Chuck found it perversely comforting to note.

"Serena…you have to take care of her, too. For both of your sakes…"

After all that had happened, Chuck expected Nate to bristle at this request, but he didn't. Instead, a strange, sad smile spread across his face and Nate nearly looked up as he mumbled, "Serena always screws up…"

Something flickered across Blair's face, a recollection it seemed, before she ducked her head to catch Nate's eyes. "Yes. Help her…please Nate, find her and fix her. I can't."

"This isn't about Serena, Blair…" He denied, obviously not wanting to even consider kindness towards the blonde.

"I know," Blair said simply. "But she's _Serena_. And she needs you, no matter what. You can make her learn something, I know you can. And _you_…you can't heal without her. You can't heal unless you forgive her. And you find the truth of what happened."

Nate didn't answer her or make a move. He wasn't about to promise to forgive Serena…even if there was a certain amount of ridiculous inevitability to it…could he ever forgive her fully?

Blair wrapped her hand around Nate's neck and pulled him forward, pressing a firm kiss to his cheek. Nate closed his eyes briefly against it. With a quick embrace, she pulled back. "Be smart, okay?"

He finally smiled, even though it looked like he didn't quite remember how. "Okay," he said softly. When his eyes searched out Chuck, he was standing there, almost looking resigned. Blair sighed, calling his attention to her and what he needed to do. Offer what little assurance he could give.

"Do what you need to do, Nathaniel. Whatever and wherever that may be."

He reached out his hand and Nate gratefully took it as they came together for a quick hug. "Thanks, man."

"No, Daddy!" The distinct sound of a stomping foot and Liliana rushed into the room to stop at Nate's feet. "Don't let Uncle Nate go! You were gonna make him stay, I know it!" The little girl looked up at Nathaniel, pouting. "Don't."

With a tender glance, Nate bent down and picked the child up. "Always the main attraction, aren't you?"

Rubbing her eyes petulantly, Liliana nodded. "You can't leave, Uncle Nate."

"I have to, kiddo." He pulled a strand of her dark hair behind her ear and leaned in patiently. "You want to know a secret?"

Lili frowned slightly at him as she stopped rubbing at her eyes, now intrigued. "Of course!" she exclaimed, looking almost angry at her honorary uncle for keeping anything from her to begin with.

"There might be a little boy somewhere…a little bit bigger than you. And if he's still out there, I need to find him."

"Why?"

"Because he was taken away a long time ago…from his mommy and daddy. And even if he's okay…he has to know that someone wanted him. That someone looked for him."

Lili nodded seriously, her eyes big. "Mommy says that sometimes things are real…even when it doesn't look like it. Like fairy tales and princes…right, Uncle Nate? Your little boy could be real, too."

Not commenting on the vast differences between fairy tales and his possibly not-stillborn son, Nate nodded. "Yeah, sweetheart. And every kid deserves to be loved, right? Just like you are loved by so many people."

"_That_ many people are going to love him, Uncle Nate?" Liliana asked suspiciously. To his left, Blair delicately covered laughter with a slight cough. "He must be very important."

Yeah, the monstrous, egotistical, little princess was totally Blair's. Chuck swelled with pride.

He pressed a kiss to the little girl's head with a short laugh. "Yup, almost as important as you…" He set her down. "I'll be back, kiddo."

"Better be," Liliana said sweetly, watching Nate start towards the elevator.

"Keep your Mom and Dad on their toes."

Looking down at her parents' feet, she missed the last glimpse of Nate through the elevator doors, as his face hardened into grim apprehension. "How do I do that?"

"It's an expression, darling." Blair let out a breath of relief as Nate disappeared, and she touched the soft curls on her daughter's head. Chuck got the impression that she wanted to touch her, to make sure she was really there and always would be.

Shrugging, Liliana quickly changed tacks, looking up eagerly at her parents. "Mommy, lots of stuff happened while you were gone! Aunt Serena came over and she was crying a lot, but I don't know what happened because Uncle Nate let me watch _Sleeping Beauty_ in the other room and I couldn't hear… but then Uncle Nate wanted to take me home and he looked very sad. And he didn't tell me why Aunt Serena didn't say good-bye…"

"Okay, I think it's time for bed," Chuck interrupted smoothly, not wishing to give Lili any more time to mull over what she did or didn't hear.

Lili crossed her arms and glared, looking up at Chuck with a clear accusation of betrayal. "This isn't a very fun night!" Then, added in undertone, "The grownups are being so weird!"

"And I despair for you," Chuck responded, not sounding very sympathetic at all. He lifted her and strode over to the staircase to set her on the first step. "But I suggest you and Mikey get ready to be tucked in. I will be there in a minute."

"Mikey doesn't like when I dress him up for bed, so he doesn't _need_ to get ready." Liliana pointed out.

"Of course, how silly of me." Liliana skipped up the stairs and Chuck turned back to Blair, shifting immediately back into the conversation.

"I can't believe you told him to go."

Blair crossed her arms and tilted her head towards him, and just like that, Chuck felt his groin tighten. The way she _looked_ at him…it was nearly embarrassing how much of a reaction she could get from him. "He was right, Chuck."

"And Serena…?"

"Needs Nate," Blair answered simply. "At least for now…"

"Serena is married."

"I know. Poor Dan." Chuck didn't think Blair _was_ very sorry for the Brooklynite, though. "But this came to be long before Humphrey was back in Serena's life. And he needs to suck it up and let her look for the truth. We both know that Carter was lying, and once everything gets settled… S will go back to Humphrey and everything will be right with the world."

Despite Blair's rosy take on the situation, Chuck doubted that things would stand to go so smoothly. But, rubbing his throbbing forehead, he found that he really didn't care what happened with Serena and Nate anymore. There was a certain urgency to things that he hadn't felt before, a dark fear swelling in the pit of his stomach. He wished that he could say that it was the fear of never getting back to his own world…but it wasn't, not anymore. He wanted to _stay_. He wanted to stay and raise that bratty little girl upstairs. He wanted to make love to Blair a million times more, a million times longer. And he didn't care if it took away ten years of his life. He didn't need that. He didn't.

"Bass." Blair was suddenly right next to him, her soft perfume enveloping him as she placed a hand on his arm. "Where are you?"

He pulled his hand away from his forehead to smile at her, and he could tell that she didn't buy it, not one bit. "Still here."

She leaned in, her breath burning the shell of his ear. "And do you want to be?"

He didn't answer her, but his fingers wandered, slowly…down her neck to the place where her robe dipped at her breasts. She gasped sharply, and he memorized that sound like he did all the others.

She was beautiful, and she smelled so sweet…she tasted so sweet. It was a drug, the most satisfying kind. How he could ever bring himself to be with another woman…he just couldn't figure. He would lose his mind. At least, if he hadn't lost it already. He still wasn't sure. Didn't know.

Maybe he really _was_ maturing, he thought to himself dully as he withdrew his touch from her, feeling suddenly as if he couldn't breathe.

_I'm not him. It's not me. It's not her. I can't stay. I'm not him._

"Can I tuck her in myself?" Chuck asked. Blair was staring at him, confused. She couldn't know what he was thinking…but she still was giving him that _look_. That look that said she did.

She nodded her assent, probably thinking that the request was rather bizarre. "Of course."

He nodded and took a deep breath. "Okay."

_I'm not him. I'm not him. I'm not him._

Her smile was playful. "You're coming back down, aren't you?"

His smile was lascivious. Years of practice had taught him well…and he wanted her anyway. He really wanted her. "There's nothing on this earth that could keep me away."

"That's a relief," she smirked. She was turning away, the sly smile still in her eyes. But he couldn't let her go, yet. His hand found hers, clenching her wrist, and she turned back around, her eyes questioning.

"Chuck?"

His mouth was suddenly unbearably dry and he didn't know what to say…how to express…

"Chuck, what is it?"

"You…" He didn't know where the words were coming from. "You are everything I ever wanted."

A confused look came over her face, but he said nothing to banish it, to explain himself. He didn't think there was anything else to say. And that hard lump growing in his throat was insurmountable.

She nodded, her expression unreadable, before walking away again, moving rather quickly back toward the bedroom. He didn't wonder if he would come back downstairs follow after her. He watched until he couldn't see her anymore. And then he headed up the stairs, to Lili's room.

She was sitting up in bed, looking imperiously at the door with her stuffed dog lying on its side next to her. "Daddy, you took forever!

"Your hyperbole is astounding," he remarked as he came sauntered towards the bed to hover over her. She patted the bed next to her impatiently, and he obeyed after the slightest hesitation, the bed dipping as he sat.

"Is Mommy coming?"

"Not tonight. But I'm sure I will be sufficient…"

After a moment's deliberation and crinkled brow, Lili nodded. "Yes, you're 'fishent. Are you gonna read me a story?"

Her eyes were big, beautiful, and hopeful, looking up at him in her perfectly adorable, frilly nightgown. There was another pang in his chest.

"I'll…I'll tell you a story that isn't in one of your books…will that satisfy you?"

Nodding, she burrowed into his side with an easiness he would definitely miss. "As long as there is a princess…"

"Well, there is a princess. A beautiful one that looks quite a bit like you. And this princess was promised to a handsome prince."

Lili nodded resolutely. "Just like she's s'pose to be."

Looking down at her, he held up a finger so she wouldn't get too hasty. "But this princess wasn't in love with the prince."

The child was aghast. "Why not, Daddy?"

"Because there was another prince…one from a different place that was a little scarier. More dangerous. And he wanted the princess to love him. Because he could tell that the princess sometimes liked dark places, too."

"Was he bad?"

Chuck thought about that for a moment. "No. He wasn't bad. But he did bad things sometimes and everybody thought he was bad."

Liliana's brow creased as she dropped her head against his arm. "I feel sorry for the prince. The one that lives in the scary place."

Chuck smiled and leaned in as if he was imparting a secret to her. "That's because you're a lot like this princess. She felt sorry for him, too. But the dark prince still needed to learn how to love her the way she wanted to be loved. He wasn't very good at showing his feelings."

"What did he do?"

"He went on a journey. And when he was on the journey, he got to see the future."

The little girl's mouth formed a perfect 'O'. "He did? What was it like?"

And suddenly, all he could think of was pulling up the zipper of Blair's dress and a little girl colliding with his knees, and his father's look of genuine appreciation, and Blair's lips on his. "It was happy. He was with his princess and everything was perfect. But he didn't know what he would have to do to get that future in real life. He didn't know if he could be as good to the princess as he was in the future."

Lili tossed her hands up, impatiently. "But of course he could be that good! He loved the princess, Daddy!"

"More than anything," Chuck murmured.

"So what happened in the end?"

He paused, remembering…remembering how he wouldn't lie to her, his little girl.

_She isn't mine._

"He went back from the future…and we don't know what happened. But someday, the rest of the story will come out."

Liliana yawned, her hands searching for Mikey the stuffed Rottweiler. "When?"

"You have to go to sleep now," he hedged, and she shimmied further under the covers.

"Are you going?" She was looking up at him sleepily.

"Yes."

"Are you coming back?"

Chuck had to remind himself never to promise honesty to such an astute child. "Daddies never leave their little girls. Never."

"Okay…" She turned and nudged her face into the pillow, closing her eyes. And Chuck stared at her.

He watched her for a long time…he couldn't be sure how long. Time didn't feel like it had much meaning anymore. Then, he felt a presence behind him.

"Chuck Bass loves all the girls."

Turning, he met the cool eyes of a blonde that looked oddly familiar, but one he could swear he had never seen before. Still, he was Chuck Bass—he always kept his composure around strange, beautiful women. "Love 'em and leave 'em…so they say."

"But we know different, don't we?" A pert smile played across her lips quickly, but Chuck blinked and it was gone. "Have you had your fun?"

Chuck clenched his fists instinctually. "Who wants to know?"

"The scientist of your little experiment…" She was playing with a rose, fingering the thorns on the stem.

"You did this," Chuck said blankly, he glanced once more at the child, now fast asleep in her bed. "You crazy bitch."

"You knew I was coming," she said, looking disinterested in his histrionics. "You've been feeling it all night."

"Ever since…"

"Ever since…you learned. You've figured it out."

Chuck was suddenly furious, looking at this woman…or whatever she was, and her smug face. He wanted to shatter glass. "Right. I've learned. I'm in love with Blair Waldorf. I want her to have my children. I want her fucking white-picket fence. And it's all right here. So now what? You're going to send me back? You're going to send me back so I can watch my best friend, someone who doesn't _remotely_ deserve the woman downstairs, have what's mine? I'll pass."

He marched toward the door, hoping that if he walked away, that she would disappear. But he had no such luck. "You don't have a choice in the matter, Chuck Bass."

He laughed, but the sound was acidic. "What kind of sick game is this? Why is this cosmic torture lined up for me? What about the rest of the world?"

The blonde beauty was as calm as ever. "I wouldn't worry about the rest of the world…" When she took a step toward him, it was soundless and it made an uncomfortable feeling come over Chuck. He couldn't help but slightly move back. "You're mistaken. I don't wish to make you suffer. And when you are returned, you will have a unique opportunity to redeem yourself."

"How?"

She smirked. "In your real time, you are already in love with Blair Waldorf. Your memories were removed for the sake of this process."

Chuck pinched his nose, frustrated already. "Forgive me if I'm wrong, but wouldn't that render the entire experiment useless?"

"On the contrary…falling in love wasn't the difficulty. No person can keep themselves from loving. It's a compulsion. How you show it and how you fight it is another matter. It was accepting that love. Accepting her love. Saving you both pain…and keeping you from destroying what should have been a beautiful thing."

He couldn't mask his horrified expression. "I destroy it?" he choked. "I can't have… no."

"Then remember what you've seen."

"What if I ruin it?"

The witch shrugged, holding the rose aloft. "It will no longer be my concern. I have done what I was meant to do."

Chuck felt sick. He knew the boy he was before he was brought here. What if he messed up? He knew what he was capable of…knew that ways that he could hurt a person. Doing it to Blair…wasn't something he relished thinking about.

"If…if I hurt her…what would I do to her? Can you see that?"

She nodded, but waited for him to go on.

"Is it bad? Can you show me?"

She raised an eyebrow. "You need more incentive?"

"Can you show me?" He repeated the question, not willing to be refused. He had to know.

Before he could gather himself, the ground shifted under him and his stomach lurched, like he had been dropped from a tall building. Images proceeded quickly in front of him.

#####################################################################

A drunken Blair dragging her body toward him inside his limo. Shoving his hand away as he reached for her stomach. Her face, stonily beautiful, but teary-eyed.

_"Three words. Eight letters. Say it, and I'm yours."_

_ "Thank you. That's all I needed to hear."_

_**"I'm sorry I didn't tell you that I loved you, when I knew I did."**_

She walked away from him, again and again. She toyed with him, held him at arm's length. But then, she was there again.

_"The worst thing you've ever done…the darkest thought you've ever had…I will stand by you through anything…Because I love you."_

_ "Well, that's too bad."_

He left this time. He spiraled out of control. Blair…threw his flowers at his feet as the elevator closed.

_"Every time I try to move on, you're right there…acting like—"_

_ "Acting like what?"_

He was terrified. And he was daring her…daring her to face him and call him for the coward he was.

"_Tell me if what you feel for me is real…If it's real, we'll figure it out…all of us. But if it's not…then please, Chuck. Let me go."_

_ "It's just a game."_

It wasn't a game. She took his face in her hands and told him again, said those three words firmly…and he threw it viciously back at her. Again.

And it didn't end once he told her the truth. Once he told her that he loved her.

Her hand came across his face, stinging. He couldn't look her in the eye. She was broken.

_"I didn't think the worst thing you would ever do would be to me."_

_ "You went up there on your own."_

_**"I'm sorry I treated you like property."**_

He tossed the peonies in the trash. That freshmen, Jenny Humphrey, was there…looking very raggedy, kind of like a scarecrow. She was in the next room with the dirty sheets while he wrapped his arms around Blair.

_"If you aren't there, I'm closing my heart to you forever…so are you brave enough or aren't you?"_

_ "Blair, I thought you didn't love me anymore. Jenny Humphrey was—"_

_ "Don't say her name!"_

He cringed as the words, raw and violent, tore from her mouth. The ring was in his hand.

_**"I'm sorry for not waiting longer at the Empire State Building."**_

It was a blur…a fantastic blur. The feelings ripped through him like fire, each more devastating and powerful than the last. And she was there…every single time. Taunting him, driving him crazy, making him love her.

_"You'll never marry anyone else. You're mine."_

_ "I wanted to be…so badly. But not anymore."_

His hand shattered the glass, his body was over hers. She cried out.

_**"I'm sorry for losing my temper the night Louis proposed to you."**_

They were done. And he felt like dying. Then he felt nothing.

_**"You have to face that you didn't let Blair go, you LOST her!"**_

_No more._

########################################################################

He couldn't take it anymore. His mind rebelled and he lashed out. He didn't need to see anymore. He couldn't do it. And as quickly as the desperation came over him, everything had faded into nothing and the blonde witch was there again. Looking down at him expectantly.

He was on his knees, feeling nauseous, wanting to just throw-up. How could he have been capable of so much? "No more."

She didn't look sympathetic, only looked at him as he struggled to his feet, still feeling unsteady. And she offered no comment on what she knew he saw. "Perhaps it was wise to show you the alternative…"

Chuck didn't answer, still speechless after all of it. There was no way. He wouldn't do that to Blair. Not now that he knew.

"I'm going to send you back now."

Again, he didn't answer. But he wasn't surprised when the space underneath him shifted and white light burst in front of his eyes.

A/N: For those that may be wondering, I AM STILL a fan of Blair and Chuck…I merely feel that if Chuck had gone to Tuscany, their relationship would probably have been less…tumultuous. Alright, now all we need is an epilogue with Tuscany-bound Blair and Chuck! And if anybody wants, I could throw in a little Bart and Lily. (I personally love Bart…so, yeah). Reviews are the best!


	18. Chapter 18

A/N: Okay, I hope I don't have to dodge any tomatoes, but I thought I should suck it up and upload the final chapter of this story, rather than continue to keep you fine people waiting another moment longer. I REALLY am sorry that it took so long. When I first started this story, I had no idea how much real life would interfere with my updating. But I finally got the time to write this all out and finish the story! I hope the at least some of my readers are still with me (and I was really hoping to make it to 500 reviews by the end of this story, but if I don't it's no tragedy). And I apologize if you have to go back and refresh your memory on the previous chapters. In any case, it's been a fun ride and I hope you enjoy the last chapter. I've considered toying with a sequel in this universe. If interested, you can press the little review button at the end and let me know! ;) Special thanks to all of my reviewers, especially the ones who came back time and time again. You were a wonderful help and gave me a reason to keep going. And special, special thanks to **nondescriptf**, who was a constant source of support and a wonderful writer to boot! Seriously, thank you all for the wonderful experience and really hope you like the end! Sorry about my long-windedness…I'm done rambling now.

Disclaimer: Don't own.

Epilogue:

He never really was one to watch the world pass by behind tinted windows. But if he didn't let his mind drift beyond the inside of this limo, it would go to places that would result in a hot sweat and a desperate need for a cold shower. His palms were a little sweaty on the plane, but he had quickly willed them to stop by sheer mind-over-matter exercises. Blair Waldorf may be the most controlling person on the face of the earth, but people often short-changed Chuck on his self-control. He _did_ in fact, possess self-control. He just rarely felt like exerting energy on such things when he didn't want to.

But, he thought as he smiled mockingly to his own reflection, Blair seemed to have changed that. Blair had changed a lot of things.

If there was one thing Blair Waldorf hated, it was perspiration of anything but a sexual kind, and not really even then. When Nate dated Blair, he was always the first one in the showers after his lacrosse games for that sole reason. Blair wouldn't have touched him with a ten-foot pole.

Of course, that wasn't an issue for Nate anymore. Because Blair was not his…like Chuck told her—she didn't belong with Nate. _Never have, never will._

Yes, he remembered everything. He remembered his life with Blair… and the one he could have lived without her. He remembered those days within a life that he should have scoffed at, and did scoff at…until he took that chance and just lived it. The complacent domesticity that he attributed to people like Nate and Blair suddenly didn't seem so wrong—or so complacent. And the fact that it didn't _all_ seem so fucking terrible by the end of it had just amazed him. How did the one life that he refused to choose for himself suddenly become the one that he imagined?

No matter what he did now, he had become open to the real possibility of Blair. The story had already opened his eyes on another plane of existence, blindsiding him. That was apparent from what that wacko witch-blond showed him—the memories (visions?) that stormed through his head with agonizing clarity when she told him he had to leave. He asked to see…to see if it could go wrong and _why_ and _how_.

Chuck Bass was a romantic. Blair knew. But even taking that romanticism out of the equation, he had to deal in logic: he would never escape loving Blair. If he had learned anything from this, that was the one undeniable truth. He may refuse to believe it, refuse to tell her, hate himself for it, hate _her_ for it. But that wouldn't change a fucking thing.

And now he understood that it was a done deal from the moment she said, "Guard my drink," and dropped her dress on his stage. And he saw that Blair wasn't just beautiful, but unapologetically sexy. Not just an ice queen, but a fiery femme fatale. Not just broken, but strong enough to land on her feet, even when she was wounded.

Not just his best friend's girl… but the love of his life.

Victrola _had _changed everything…or maybe it was just the culmination of things that made them…Chuck and Blair…unavoidable. Either way, Chuck Bass got what he wanted, and he didn't like to lose.

So he was en route to Tuscany.

He hadn't answered any of her text messages. He knew it was probably an asshole-move because it would lead her to think that he wasn't going to show. But then, he knew what he was doing. He wanted her to trust him, even when it was the absolute last thing on earth she would instinctively consider. He wanted her to see him walk through that door when she was forcing herself not to expect it or even _hope_ for it.

He just hoped it would pay off.

####################################################

"Blair…"

He hadn't meant for her name to escape so unsteadily from his lips. He had wanted to wrap himself in the armor of nonchalance and smoothness that he was so famous for. Everything had gone so perfectly—there was no announcement of his arrival (due to generous compensation to hotel employees from the Bass heir) and no sign of her when he swiped his card key and let himself inside the suite. While the no-account bellboy dropped his bags in his room, he found her out on the balcony, staring out at the incomparable view. She was in something sleek and wine-colored that set his nerve-endings on fire and her tension was only visible in the muscles of her arms, resting on the railing, phone dropped on a glass side-table. And he wondered what she was thinking… if she had any faith in him at all.

Part of him hoped that she didn't and that she had protected her heart. At least at this moment.

She didn't turn right away when he said her name, but he saw her body subtly relax. Her arms sat more lightly and her weight shifted gently to one side, leaving him to swallow at the sight of her slim curves.

"Bass." Her tone was all velvet and light, revealing none of the possible anger she may have felt for him. It was her dangerous voice. "Phone not operating properly?"

All at once, Chuck felt his game come back to him. He could do this, he knew. He already had her. He just had to play for keeps.

"As a matter of fact…" he withdrew said-device from his pocket and dropped it on the table next to hers as he went to join her at the railing. "It's working just fine, Waldorf. And so am I."

She finally looked at him, her dark eyes sweeping over his face as if it would decode his cryptic words. But she said nothing and nothing and in her silence he felt the world shift and he realized how much younger this Blair looked—the perfect smoothness of her skin and the wide, somehow naïve eyes. She reminded him of her essential innocence, vulnerability, and of a child that didn't exist in this world. At least not yet.

He lifted his hand, brushing the back of it against her cheek and down her jaw, his fingers stroking her chin.

The intimate affection in the gesture seemed to startle her and she drew back infinitesimally. Chuck Bass may have been a perfect gentleman all week, but he didn't do _sweet_ and this _was_. He was touching her sweetly and looking at her sweetly and her guard naturally flared up as she regarded him warily, slowly grasping his wrist in her petite hand.

"What are you doing…"

"I came."

"You did."

He stepped closer and she didn't back away this time, watching him unflinchingly. He could tell that she felt the shift—something had changed; he knew it and she felt it.

"Chuck…"

He cut across her inquiring mind. "Blair, what do you think of the name 'Liliana'?"

Her mouth closed automatically and he saw something flicker in her eyes. And it wasn't confusion. But he held her gaze, knowing she would meet the challenge every time.

"Well?" he persisted and she blinked once before answering.

"I hate it."

He laughed softly and lifted her wrist to press his lips to her pulse, running his heated breath slowly down her wrist, making his way up her arm in a way the drew her in and made her knees turn to Jell-O… whatever that was.

"Chuck…" It was almost a moan as his hot breath tickled her ear temptingly. And he knew that she would feel the curve of his smirk against its soft shell.

"Liar," he whispered. Her helpless hands came up to grip his head, pulling him closer even as he sensed her reluctance. The rational side of her didn't want this. She was confused…she had questions. There was something different about him and yet, the same, and she wanted to know why. But he was bringing them back to the beginning—back to where they started: heat and sex and blessed release. And he loved her even back then and she had to know it…she had to sense it.

"Ugh…" she groaned, but there was very little true scorn in her voice. "I _am_ mad…you, Basshole." He pressed against her so she had to brace her hand back behind her to avoid stumbling backwards. The nymphomaniac that Chuck always brought out in her before was coming to the surface. She bit his lip a little harder than necessary as she kissed him. "You could have called."

He pulled back a little, touching his forehead to hers and she was too numb or too passion-drunk to escape him. "Forgive me."

In true Bass fashion, the words came out more as a demand than a plea. Blair finally pulled away from him and cocked an eyebrow. The Queen Bee Waldorf-ness of her look gave him a little thrill. "Why should I?" she asked imperiously.

"Because Waldorf…I said so. And if you don't, we'll never get married and crush the whole Upper East Side under our heels and have little Waldorf-Bass children that we will raise to succeed our reign in Manhattan when the time comes for us to sit back and enjoy retirement while our spawn implements our societal take-downs."

He swore that the dumbfounded look that came over Blair's face in response to his outrageously uncharacteristic soliloquy was worth the price of admission. He was probably the first and only person to ever see Blair look quite so dazed. And then her expression morphed into a horrified grimace. She whispered something that sounded an awful lot like 'Waldorf-Bass children' and then looked up at him, shaking her head slowly.

"Oh, Chuck…" she murmured with great sympathy, stroking his face. "It really broke you, didn't it? You had to take a commercial flight and just lost your mind." Chuck smirked, relieved to hear the jest in her tone, happier still that she didn't reject him outright by mocking him. "It'll be alright, I promise. We'll get you help at the Ostroff Center and I swear I won't tell anyone about it. Not even at any future college mixers."

He laughed softly, his hand trailing its way down to her waist. He began to think that maybe it was true. Maybe she could actually love him in this life. "Merciful as always, Waldorf. But you have to admit, you looked really concerned there for a minute."

She rolled her eyes at him. "Yes Chuck, you're hysterical…really. Are you certain no one drugged you in first class?"

"I don't know… are you offering to play nurse?"

She smiled at the familiarity of his innuendo, before pushing him back into the suite. "Not now, Bass. You owe me dinner for making me wait so long for your arrival."

And as her footsteps faded passed him, farther into the luxurious rooms, Chuck remember Older Blair telling him that she didn't think he would come. The tentative confession echoed from that world to this one. Her phone still sat on the balcony.

"Chuck?"

He turned to find her standing there impatiently, waiting for him to take her to dinner, to show her a good time in Tuscany. She was the same old Blair, but she was happy and wholly without a façade to crack. She had let her guard down for a little while and it was beautiful.

"You should have known, Blair." For some reason, she blushed under his gaze. "You should have known…a man would have to be insane to leave you stranded."

She hadn't been expecting that, but she didn't brush off his comment either. "Or maybe just really, really childish…or afraid," she said gently. Older Blair had been right. But in another way, Chuck was all too happy to prove them both wrong. Standing before her in this very room was good enough to do that.

"Then it's a good thing that I'm here, isn't it Waldorf?"

Her answering smile was more than enough for him.

###############################################

Years later, while he was in the throes of an orgasm, he would confess the experience into her ear, his words inarticulate and unintelligible to her. He had been afraid to ever tell anyone, especially Blair, about his little journey before Tuscany. He didn't want her to think that he had followed through with their vacation only because of what he had seen. And in the back of his mind, he was afraid that maybe she would have been right.

That night, he swore to himself that if she asked him what he murmured to her, he would tell her.

But she never did.

He never spoke of it—not when they got married, not when their daughter was born (though there was a little glint in her eye when she proposed _Liliana _as their little girl's name). And try as he might, he wasn't able to stop Serena from disappearing, and felt guilty for being too absorbed in his own life to remember to try and save her and Nate the grief of losing their son. Chuck Bass was selfish—and even as his best friend's plight gnawed at him, he had rarely made any apology for that.

And one day, he woke up and Blair was curled in his arms, watching him sleep with her dark, syrupy eyes and a peculiar expression on her face. "Enjoying the view, Waldorf?"

He was able to decipher what it was when her eyes lit with recognition and she stroked her fingers across his lips and she said, "You're back."

She didn't need to say anything more about it, and she never did.

"Always, Waldorf."


End file.
